٣١٥. وَقَالَ (عليه ‏السلام) لِكَاتِبِهِ عُبَيْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِى رَافِعٍ: أَلِقْ دَوَاتَكَ وَأَطِلْ جِلْفَةَ قَلَمِكَ وَفَرِّجْ بَيْنَ السُّطُورِ وَقَرْمِطْ بَيْنَ الْحُرُوفِ فَإِنَّ ذَلِكَ أَجْدَرُ بِصَبَاحَةِ الْخَطِّ.

315. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said to his secretary ‘Ubaydullāh ibn Abī Rāfi‘: Put cotton flake in the ink-pot, keep the nib of your pen long, leave space between lines and close up the letters because this is good for the beauty of the writing.

315. (Il dit à son scribe ‘Oubaïd Allah Ibn Abi Rafe‘): Garnis ton encrier de coton, allonge l’entaille de ta plume, laisse une espace entre les lignes et fais rapprocher tes lettres: tout ceci rend la calligraphie plus belle.

Nahj al-Balāgha

Chapter #315