LessonsThe Marāghah Maqāmah: The Letter of Dotted and Undotted WordsQuiz

«وَاللُّؤْمُ ـ غَضَّ الدَّهْرُ جَفْنَ حَسُودِكَ ـ شَيْنٌ»
Meanness—may time lower the eyelid of your envier—is a disgrace.

The opposition karam / luʾm sets generosity against baseness, while yazīn / shayn juxtaposes adornment and disgrace. The embedded prayer personifies time as an agent capable of humbling an envious rival.

The device is deliberate hyperbole in an elaborate petition. Its sound pattern makes the contrast memorable, and the inserted wish adds the courtly tone expected when addressing a powerful benefactor.

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Generosity adorns, meanness disgraces

The Marāghah Maqāmah: The Letter of Dotted and Undotted Words

«وَاللُّؤْمُ ـ غَضَّ الدَّهْرُ جَفْنَ حَسُودِكَ ـ شَيْنٌ»
Meanness—may time lower the eyelid of your envier—is a disgrace.

The opposition karam / luʾm sets generosity against baseness, while yazīn / shayn juxtaposes adornment and disgrace. The embedded prayer personifies time as an agent capable of humbling an envious rival.

The device is deliberate hyperbole in an elaborate petition. Its sound pattern makes the contrast memorable, and the inserted wish adds the courtly tone expected when addressing a powerful benefactor.