طَلَعَ شَيْخٌ فِي شَمْلَتَيْنِ مَحْجُوبِ الْمُقْلَتَيْنِ
An old man appeared in two wraps, with his eyes concealed.
The elderly petitioner arrives with covered eyes and worn wraps, inviting the crowd to infer frailty. Yet covered eyes are an observable feature; blindness would be an additional conclusion.
That distinction creates room for the later reversal. The narrative first records what observers can see, not what they can verify about the man’s sight. Dramatic irony develops because the audience’s reasonable inference is not identical to established fact.
StatusStatementObservationHis eyes are coveredInferenceHe is blindLater evidenceHe opens his eyes