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| وَمِنْ نَزْلَةِ الكُشَّافِ شَابَتْ عَوَارِضِي | وَصَارَ لِقَلْبي لَوْعَةٌ وَرَجِيفْ |
wa-min nazlati l-kushshāfi shābat ʿawāriḍī
wa-ṣāra li-qalbī lawʿatun wa-rajīf
And from the descent of the Inspectors, my side whiskers have turned white
and my heart is afflicted with pangs and trembling
ش
COMMENTARY
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قوله (ومن نَزْلَةِ) النزلة واحدة النزول وتطلق على الجماعة الكثيرة إذا نزلوا في محلّ واستمرّوا فيه زمنًا كما يقال نزلة بني فلان ونزلة العرب ونزلة الغوازي ومن هذا القرية المعروفة بالنزلة وأمّا النزول فمعناه تدلّي الشيء من الأعلى إلى الأسفل وضدّه الصعود وهو الترقّي من الأدنى إلى الأعلى يقال صعد إلى أعلى الجبل ونزل إلى أدنى الأرض قال امرؤ القيس يصف فرسًا شجاعًا [طويل]
| مِكَرٍّ مِفَرٍّ مُقْبِلٍ مُدْبِرٍ مَعًا | كَجُلْمودِ صَخْرٍ حَطَّهُ السَّيْلُ مِن عَلِ |
wa-min nazlat (“And from the descent of”): nazlah212 is the instance noun from nuzūl (“descending”) and is applied to a large company if it alights at a place and remains there a while. Thus one speaks of nazlat banī fulān (“the settlement of the tribe of So-and-so”) and nazlat al-ʿarab (“the settlement of the Bedouin”) and nazlat al-ghawāzī (“the settlement of the Ghawāzī”); hence also the village known as al-Nazlah.213 Nuzūl means “the descent of something from higher to lower” and its opposite is ṣuʿūd, which means “ascent from lower to higher”; one says, “He ascended (ṣaʿada) to the top of the mountain and descended (nazala) to the lowest part of the land.” Describing a mettlesome steed, Imruʾ al-Qays214 says:
At once wheeling and turning, advancing and retreating,
Match for a boulder that the flood throws down from above.
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وقوله (الكُشّافِ) جمع كاشف واتّصف بهذه الصفة لأنّه يكشف عن الإقليم المتولّي عليه ويزيل ما فيه من المفاسد والمظالم ويسدّ النهور ويمكّن الجسور ويزيل اللصوص وكان هذا عادة كلّ كاشف تولّى في قديم الزمان يسير سيرة حسنة ويمرّ على البلاد وإذا أقبل على قرية يَقْرَع الطبل فيخاف منه أهل البدع وأرباب المفاسد ويرتحلوا هاربين خوفًا منه وربّما وقعوا في يده فيعاقبهم بما يستحقّوه من قتل أو حبس أو ضرب أو أخذ دراهم ثمّ ينزل على القرية إن كان له عليها عادة بالنزول وتأتي إليه مشايخها ويقفوا بين يديه في أشدّ ما يكون من الرعب والخوف ويستخبرهم عن أحوالهم ويسألهم عن أرباب المفاسد وأصحاب البدع ويلزمهم بالقبض عليهم إذا لم يكونوا في القرية ثمّ بعد ذلك يسرعوا له في الأكل والشرب والتقادم ممّا جرت به العادة وإذا وقع في قرية فتنة فيما بينهم أو قتل أو خرجوا عن طاعة أستاذهم هجم عليهم بأمر الوزير وأخرب القرية وقتل منهم من يستحق القتل وأزال العصاة والجبابرة فعلى كلّ حال وجوده على الأقاليم رحمة وسُتْرة وكشف غمّة ما لم يحصل منه ومن عسكره الضرر على الناس من نهب متاعهم وأذيّتهم وتكلّفهم في المأكل والمشرب فوق طاقتهم وإلّا فيكون هذا من باب الظلم وهو حرام ويجب ردّه لأربابه إلّا إن سمحت نفوسهم بذلك فلا بأس وقوله
al-kushshāfi (“the Inspectors”): plural of kāshif, so called because he inspects (yakshifu) the region placed under his charge and does away with whatever corruption and unauthorized imposts may exist there, and dams the waterways, strengthens the dikes, and rids the place of robbers; such was the custom of every Inspector in former times. He would behave righteously and make a progress around the settlements, and when he approached a village the drums would beat and those who had introduced unsanctioned practices and the corrupt would feel frightened and run away in fear of him and sometimes fall into his hands, in which case he would punish them as they deserved, whether by execution, imprisonment, beating, or fines. Then he would descend on the village, if it was his custom to stop there, and its shaykhs would come and stand before him in the utmost terror and fear, while he interrogated them concerning their affairs and asked them who was corrupt and who had introduced unsanctioned practices, and enjoined them to apprehend the latter if they were not in the village. Afterward they would hurry to bring him the customary food, drink, and presents. If any conflict had arisen among them in a village, or any killing, or they had shown disobedience to their Master, he would attack them on the viceroy’s orders, lay waste to the village, kill those of them who deserved to be killed, and destroy the rebels and tyrants.215 However that may be,216 his presence in charge of the provinces constitutes a mercy, a shield, and a discovery of afflictions, provided no injury is done to people at his hands or at the hands of his soldiers by way of seizure of their property, harassment, or commanding them to provide food and drink beyond their capacity to do so. Should such things occur, it should be considered injustice and, as such, forbidden by religion, and whatever is taken should be returned to its owner (unless he had provided it of his own free will in the first place, in which case there is no objection).
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(الكشاف) ولم يكونوا غير واحد فهو على حذف مضاف تقديره أي ومن تواتر نزول كاشف
