What others said about Arabic Via a reliable witness
Addressing the students of Leiden in 1620:
“If both languages are to be learnt, it seems to me that Arabic should be put first since it is the easier and more regular and everywhere makes good the defects of Hebrew. Away with those who want discord among us and are trying, with imaginary difficulties, to put you off from the study of this most excellent and useful language! I admit that, not so long ago, it presented difficulties for us here. But that was because the necessary means – the rules, the teachers and the books – were missing, not because of its nature. But now I hope you will never lack them in abundant supply. Therefore, set about it young gentlemen; call the mind to this noble study; give a few hours to it every day; and do not doubt that in a few months I will summon you to testify to the things I have just said.”
Thomas Erpenius
1584–1624
Dutch Arabist, professor of Arabic at Leiden, whose Arabic grammar was the standard textbook in Europe for two centuries.
In Arabic
فإن كان لا بدّ من تعلّم اللغتين، فأرى أن تُقدَّم العربيّة، لأنّها أيسرُ وأطردُ قياساً، وتسدّ نقصَ العبريّة في كلّ موضع. بُعداً لمن يريدون الفرقةَ بيننا، ويحاولون بصعوباتٍ متخيَّلةٍ أن يصرفوكم عن دراسة هذه اللغة الفاضلة النافعة! أعترف أنّها كانت هنا قبل زمنٍ غير بعيدٍ صعبةً علينا، ولكنّ ذلك لأنّ الوسائلَ اللازمة- القواعدَ والمعلّمين والكتب- كانت مفقودة، لا لطبيعتها. أمّا الآن فأرجو ألّا تُعوزكم أبداً، بل تجدونها وافرة. فأقبلوا عليها أيّها الشباب، ووجّهوا عقولكم إلى هذه الدراسة النبيلة، وامنحوها ساعاتٍ قليلةً كلَّ يوم، ولا تشكّوا في أنّي سأدعوكم بعد أشهرٍ قليلةٍ لتشهدوا بما قلتُه آنفاً.
Source
“Thomas Erpenius (1584–1624) on the Value of the Arabic Language”, oration at Leiden, 5 November 1620, tr. from the Latin by Robert Jones, Manuscripts of the Middle East 1 (1986), p. 25 (Latin ed. 1621, pp. 94–95)
Erpenius spoke in Latin; we read Robert Jones’s English translation and translated it into Arabic. The Arabic version in the conference volume dropped “not because of its nature”.
Tap a card to see it full size; each has a download button below it for sharing.
Spotted a mistake, or have something to add?
Your note comes to us only; it is not published here. We read it, and if it holds we correct the card.
