Sihr al-Balagha wa Sirr al-Baraa
- Author died
- 429 AH
- Editions
- Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah
Sihr al-Balagha wa Sirr al-Baraa (The Magic of Eloquence and the Secret of Skill) is a work on Arabic rhetoric, eloquence, and literary expressions by the Nishapuri philologist and man of letters Abu Mansur al-Thaalibi (350–429 AH / 961–1038 CE) .
Composition and Sources
Al-Thaalibi states in his introduction that he compiled the book drawing from two principal sources: prose selections containing the finest stylistic passages and literary points by eminent contemporary masters of eloquence, and prose adaptations (hall al-nazm) derived from the verses of leading poets whose works he had previously compiled in his biographical anthology Yatimat al-Dahr .
Content and Method
The work serves as a practical compendium of rhetorical devices, figures of speech, and stylistic expressions arranged thematically to assist writers, poets, and scholars in refining their prose and verse. It covers various aspects of eloquent speech, including:
- Intellectual acuity and quick wit (sur'at al-khatir wa-nafadh al-tab'): compiling expressions illustrating rapid perception, sharp judgment, and spontaneous improvisation .
- Fluency and articulateness (zalaqat al-lisan wa-l-fasaha): gathering descriptions of verbal mastery, clarity of diction, and expressive force .
- Rhetorical elaboration (al-itnab): providing model formulations for expanding upon a theme without falling into excessive verbosity .
- Treatments of prose and verse: illustrating how rhetorical themes can be presented both in prose passages and in poetic meter .
Transmission and Publication
The text was preserved in numerous manuscript libraries, including holdings in Istanbul (such as Koprulu and Emanet Hazinesi), Cairo, Mosul, and the Austrian National Library in Vienna . Selections from the work were printed at the al-Jawa'ib press in Istanbul in 1301 AH (1883–1884 CE) as part of a four-treatise collection of al-Thaalibi's writings, and editions of the complete book were later published in Istanbul and Damascus .
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