فَقُلْتُ لَهُ لَمَّا تَمَطَّى بِصُلْبِهِ
وَأَرْدَفَ أَعْجَازًا وَنَاءَ بِكَلْكَلِ
“Then I spoke to it when it stretched out its back, added its hindquarters behind, and bore down with its massive chest.”
Tamaṭṭā bi-ṣulbihi pictures an extended back; ardafa aʿjāzan adds the rear portions; and nāʾa bi-kalkal suggests the weight of a heavy chest or forepart.
The night is no longer merely a curtain: it has become a huge, oppressive body. Length of time, the weight of sorrow, and physical exhaustion are fused in one figure. The next verse will directly address this embodied night.