Translation assistance on Ottoman shamshir

kwiatek · 25th February 2020, 09:26 PM

Very interesting inscriptions, including verses from a poem of the 'Abbasid poet al-Mutanabbi about a sword. Will give you readings when I have a moment

RSWORD · 26th February 2020, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwiatek

Very interesting inscriptions, including verses from a poem of the 'Abbasid poet al-Mutanabbi about a sword. Will give you readings when I have a moment

Thank you Kwiatek! I appreciate your translations on both this piece as well as the yataghan. Very informative and educational!

Richard G · 27th February 2020, 03:25 PM

I fear I am going to look monumentally stupid here, but is the inscription upside down?
Regards
Richard

kwiatek · 29th February 2020, 09:48 PM

Yes some of them are posted upside down :-)

In the quatrefoil cartouche is the ubiquitous:

لا فتی الا علي لا سيف الا ذو الفقار

“There is no hero but ‘Ali, no sword but Dhu’l-Fiqar”

In the two oblong cartouches below this are, with a mistake:

يا قاضي الحاجات / يا خفيالالطاف

“O Requiter of Needs! O Provider of hidden graces!”

In the oblong cartouches on the other side of the blade:

يا مالك الممالك / نجنا من المهالك

“O Possessor of the Realms! Save us from perils!”

In the long inscription are verses from a poem by Abu Tammam (d. 845), not al-Mutanabbi as I stated before. There are some small mistakes in the text, but I have not included them below

السَّـيْـفُ أَصْــدَقُ أَنْـبَــاءً مِـــنَ الـكُـتُـبِ
فِـي حَــدهِ الـحَـدُّ بَـيْـنَ الـجِـد واللَّـعِـبِ

بيضُ الصَّفَائِحِ لاَ سُـودُ الصَّحَائِـفِ فِـي
مُـتُـونِـهـنَّ جــــلاءُ الــشَّـــك والــريَـــبِ

“The sword is more truthful than books,
In the hardness of its blade you find what separates the serious from a game,
The shine of (the blades of) swords, not the black ink of a book’s pages,
That is what eliminates doubt and uncertainty.”

25th February 2020, 09:26 PM	#1
kwiatek Member Join Date: May 2019 Posts: 153	Very interesting inscriptions, including verses from a poem of the 'Abbasid poet al-Mutanabbi about a sword. Will give you readings when I have a moment

27th February 2020, 03:25 PM	#3
Richard G Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 409	I fear I am going to look monumentally stupid here, but is the inscription upside down? Regards Richard

29th February 2020, 09:48 PM	#4
kwiatek Member Join Date: May 2019 Posts: 153	Yes some of them are posted upside down :-) In the quatrefoil cartouche is the ubiquitous: لا فتی الا علي لا سيف الا ذو الفقار “There is no hero but ‘Ali, no sword but Dhu’l-Fiqar” In the two oblong cartouches below this are, with a mistake: يا قاضي الحاجات / يا خفيالالطاف “O Requiter of Needs! O Provider of hidden graces!” In the oblong cartouches on the other side of the blade: يا مالك الممالك / نجنا من المهالك “O Possessor of the Realms! Save us from perils!” In the long inscription are verses from a poem by Abu Tammam (d. 845), not al-Mutanabbi as I stated before. There are some small mistakes in the text, but I have not included them below السَّـيْـفُ أَصْــدَقُ أَنْـبَــاءً مِـــنَ الـكُـتُـبِ فِـي حَــدهِ الـحَـدُّ بَـيْـنَ الـجِـد واللَّـعِـبِ بيضُ الصَّفَائِحِ لاَ سُـودُ الصَّحَائِـفِ فِـي مُـتُـونِـهـنَّ جــــلاءُ الــشَّـــك والــريَـــبِ “The sword is more truthful than books, In the hardness of its blade you find what separates the serious from a game, The shine of (the blades of) swords, not the black ink of a book’s pages, That is what eliminates doubt and uncertainty.”