لَولا التَنافُسُ في الدُنيا لَما وُضِعَت // كُتبُ القَناطِرِ لا المُغني وَلا العُمَدُ by Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

لَولا التَنافُسُ في الدُنيا لَما وُضِعَت // كُتبُ القَناطِرِ لا المُغني وَلا العُمَدُ قَد بالَغوا في كَلامٍ بانَ زُخرُفُهُ // يوهي العُيونَ وَلَم تَثبُت لَهُ عَمَدُ فَذَرهُمُ وَدَناياهُمُ فَقَد شَغَلوا // بِها وَيَكفيكَ مِنها القادِرُ الصَمَدُ أبو العلاء المعري

Translation (English)

If there were no competition in the world, the books of bridges, neither the singer nor the pillars, would not have been created. They have exaggerated in their words, its decoration is obvious, it weakens the eyes, and it lacks a solid foundation. So leave them and their worldly affairs, for they are preoccupied with them, and the Self-Sufficient, the Eternal, is enough for you.

About the Poet

Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri (Abbasid era)

Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri was a renowned Arab philosopher, poet, and writer born in 973 in Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, Syria. He was known for his skepticism and philosophical themes, often questioning religious and societal norms.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Classical Arabic poetry
When Written: Abbasid era
Background: The poem reflects al-Ma'arri's philosophical skepticism and critique of worldly pursuits and materialism, common themes in his work.

Sources: https://www.aldiwan.net/poem22333.html, https://ar.wikisource.org/wiki/لولا_التنافس_في_الدنيا_لما_وضعت, https://poetsgate.com/poem.php?pm=18324, https://qaseda.com/almaarri/لولا-التنافس-في-الدنيا-لما-وضعت/, https://www.klmat.com/لولا-التنافسُ-في-الدنيا،-لما-وُضعَت-أب/

Detailed Explanation

This poem by Abu al-Ala al-Ma'arri critiques the human tendency towards competition and materialism. He suggests that without the drive for competition, many of the world's constructs, like books and structures, would not exist. He criticizes the superficiality of speech that appears ornate but lacks substance, indicating that such words can deceive and weaken perception without providing any true support or foundation. Al-Ma'arri advises to leave those who are engrossed in worldly matters, as they are distracted by them, and instead, rely on the Self-Sufficient, the Eternal (a reference to God), who is sufficient for one's needs. This reflects his philosophical skepticism and disdain for the superficial pursuits of the material world.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
لَولا	إذا لم يكن	if it weren't for	lawlaa
التَنافُسُ	المسابقة	competition	at-tanaafus
في	داخل	in	fi
الدُنيا	العالم	world	ad-dunyaa
لَما	لم يكن	would not have	lamaa
وُضِعَت	تم وضعها	would have been placed	wudi'at
كُتبُ	كتب	books	kutub
القَناطِرِ	الجسور	bridges	al-qanaatir
لا	ليس	not	laa
المُغني	المطرب	singer	al-mughni
وَلا	ولا	nor	walaa
العُمَدُ	الأعمدة	pillars	al-'umad
قَد	قد	indeed	qad
بالَغوا	أفرطوا	exaggerated	baalaghoo
كَلامٍ	حديث	speech	kalaamin
بانَ	ظهر	appeared	baana
زُخرُفُهُ	زينة	adornment	zukhrufuhu
يوهي	يضعف	weakens	yuhi
العُيونَ	الأبصار	eyes	al-'uyoon
وَلَم	ولم	and it did not	walam
تَثبُت	تستقر	are firm	tathbut
لَهُ	له	to it	lahu
عَمَدُ	أساس	support	amad
فَذَرهُمُ	اتركهم	leave them	fadharhum
وَدَناياهُمُ	وأمورهم الدنيوية	and their worldly matters	wadanaayahum
فَقَد	لأنهم	because	faqad
شَغَلوا	انشغلوا	are occupied	shaghaloo
بِها	بها	with it	bihaa
وَيَكفيكَ	يكفيك	is enough for you	wayakfeeka
مِنها	منها	from it	minhaa
القادِرُ	القوي	the Powerful	al-qaadir
الصَمَدُ	الأبدي	the Eternal	as-samad