BİRİNCİ FEN · ÜÇÜNCÜ BÂB · DOKUZUNCU FASIL · Altıncı Madde
Sixth Section
Concerning the states of slowness, halting, return, and straight progression of the five wandering planets (hamse-i mütehayyire) according to the new rules of astronomy.
O beloved! [98/b] Know that the new astronomers have said: It is easily known, according to the theory of new astronomy, that the five wanderers’ apparent slowness, halting, return, and straight progression are not dependent on the Epicycle (felek-i tedvîr). For the different states of the five wanderers – such as stopping and returning – occur only from our observation of those planets from the moving Earth. Thus, to us they appear sometimes slow, sometimes halted, and sometimes returning. Were it assumed that we were located on the sun, which is the center of our world, such visions would never appear to us. For it is known that the movement and rotation of these five wanderers are similar and uniform. As has been explained in detail in previous sections, Mercury and Venus complete their orbits around the sun before the Earth completes its revolution. Likewise, the Earth completes its annual orbit around the sun before Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. This is why Mercury and Venus sometimes appear between the sun and the Earth, and the Earth appears between the sun and the other three planets.
Now, we can explain the three superior planets in this way: Let a straight line have the sun at point “alif,” and let the Earth’s annual orbit be the circle "be, he, ayn, jim, te, lam."
For example, let Mars's circle be the circle "tı, dal, kaf, rı, ye, be," so that when Mars passes through an arc of this circle, the Earth has completed its revolution within its own circle. Then let the sphere of fixed stars be the circle “mim, fe, kef, nun.” In this case, we say that the Earth is at point "lam" and Mars is at point "tı," while the Martian star appears from the sphere of fixed stars at point "mim." After that, let the Earth move from point "lam" to point "be," and (the said) star move from point "tı" to point “dal,” so that the Earth moves very close between itself and the sun. At this time, it is observed that Mars appears from the sphere of fixed stars at point "lam-alif." Thus, the movement according to the order of the signs is observed to proceed swiftly from point "mim" to point "lam-alif," which is called (the star’s) swift and straight progression.
After that, let the Earth move from point “be” to point “he,” and the star from point “dal” to point “kaf.” It is at this time that (the star) is felt at point "lam-alif," and the first state of slowness and halting occurs. After that, when the Earth reaches point “ayn” and the star reaches point “rı,” the star appears again at point “fe.” In this case, it is seen that the star returns in a manner contrary to the order of movement of the signs. This condition is called the return (ric‘at) of the star.
After that, when the Earth reaches point "jim" and the star reaches point "ye," the star is observed at point “fe.” At this time, the second halting (ikãmet-i sâniye) and the second slowing (baty-i sânî) occur. After that, when the Earth moves to point “te” and the star moves to point “be,” the star appears as if at point "nun." In this state, it has moved in accordance with the course of movement of the signs, which is called swiftness and straight progression.
It is known that the slowing, halting, and return – that is, the inclinations, stillness, and reversals – of Jupiter and Saturn are likewise on this pattern. However, the two lower stars (süfleyeyn), namely Utarit and Zuhre, because they are closer to the sun from the Earth, traverse their orbits more quickly than from the Earth, appearing between the Earth and the sun, sometimes moving swiftly and straightly, sometimes slowly and haltingly, and sometimes returning. Now, let us assume that Mercury (Utarit) has completely traversed its own circle of "lam-alif, lam, mim, nun, tı," until the Earth passes through the angle of “te, be, jim, dal, ye, fe” within its own circle. Then we say: if the Earth is at point “te” and the Mercury star is at point "lam-alif," it will certainly appear from the sphere of fixed stars at point “he.” After that, when the Earth reaches point "be" and the Mercury star reaches point "lam," this time the star appears from the sphere of fixed stars at point “be.”
Thus, the rapid movement seen by the star in accordance with the course of movement of the signs is called swiftness and straight progression. For when the Earth reaches point "jim," and the star reaches point "mim," the star is again observed at point “be.” Certainly, at this time, the first slowing and halting of the star occurs. After that, when the Earth reaches point “dal” and the star reaches point “nun,” the star appears from the sphere of fixed stars at point “kaf.” Naturally, it appears to be moving in a manner contrary to the course of movement of the signs, so it seems as if it is returning in its movement.
This condition, which occurs in this way, is called ric‘at. After that, when the Earth reaches point "ye" and the star reaches point “tı,” the star is again felt at point “kaf,” and the second slowing and halting occur. After that, when the Earth reaches point “fe” and the star also reaches point "lam-alif," in this case, the star appears from the sphere of fixed stars at point “ayn”; because it is seen to be moving in accordance with the course of movement of the signs. Its movement is then called straightness and swiftness.
Here's a translation of the provided text, aiming for faithfulness and preserving meaning within a classical Islamic/Sufi context:
"These explanations concerning Venus are likewise applicable to Mercury; for it is understood that the changes pertaining to Mercury occur at a more measured pace than those of Venus. Indeed, the time taken by Venus to complete its orbit is greater than that of Mercury. Thus, what has been detailed here serves as sufficient illustration both for the nascent science of astronomy and for aspects of traditional methodology. Now we shall proceed to address the questions raised regarding these observations and their corresponding responses."
**Notes on Translation Choices & Considerations:**
* **"Venus" and "Mercury":** I've maintained the original names, assuming they refer to the planets as understood within a classical cosmological framework.
* **"Nascent science of astronomy":** I chose this phrasing to convey the idea of a developing field of astronomical study, rather than a more modern or technical term.
* **"Traditional methodology":** This attempts to capture the sense of established scholarly approaches and methods.
* **Flow & Readability:** I've adjusted sentence structure slightly for better flow in English while striving to remain true to the original meaning. The goal was to create a translation that sounds natural but retains the formality appropriate to the source material.