Addressing Fāṭimah, the speaker asks for less aloofness and seeks a gracious manner of separation should she truly decide to leave. The following question reproaches her for appearing secure in the depth of his love and the heart’s obedience.
The next verse turns separation into the visible disengaging of garments. In the last verse, tears become two arrows aimed at a heart already fragmented and wounded. The passage progresses from an argument about parting to increasingly concrete, emotionally charged images.
The next narrative opens with wa-bayḍati khidrin lā yurāmu khibāʾuhā, introducing a screened woman and the dangers of gaining access to her.