LessonsTranslation and Close Reading — Selected Passages from Ten MaqāmātQuiz

«أَرْعَى الْجَارَ وَلَوْ جَارَ»
I respect my neighbor’s rights even if he wrongs me.

The noun al-jār means neighbor; the matching verb jāra means to act unjustly. The play cannot normally be copied word for word in English. Translating the two occurrences with two appropriate meanings is preferable to preserving sound at the expense of sense.

“Even if” carries the force of wa-law. The statement expresses the speaker's generous ideal; it need not be expanded into a requirement to surrender personal safety or legitimate rights.

Translation exercise
Produce a fluent translation that renders the first jāra as a noun and the second as a verb.

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Neighbor and wrongdoing: similar sounds, distinct senses

Translation and Close Reading — Selected Passages from Ten Maqāmāt

«أَرْعَى الْجَارَ وَلَوْ جَارَ»
I respect my neighbor’s rights even if he wrongs me.

The noun al-jār means neighbor; the matching verb jāra means to act unjustly. The play cannot normally be copied word for word in English. Translating the two occurrences with two appropriate meanings is preferable to preserving sound at the expense of sense.

“Even if” carries the force of wa-law. The statement expresses the speaker's generous ideal; it need not be expanded into a requirement to surrender personal safety or legitimate rights.

Translation exercise
Produce a fluent translation that renders the first jāra as a noun and the second as a verb.