Al-Ḥārith visits a literary gathering in the library of his hometown. A shabbily dressed stranger takes a back seat but displays commanding eloquence, draws the group into an argument over poetic imagery, and offers a richer-looking comparison for a smile.
Key images: teeth, pearls, hail, white flowers, palm blossom, and water bubbles.
Literary devices: rhymed prose, sound patterns, layered similes, and sharply critical analogies.
Central question: the verse is admired—but who actually composed it?
The audience hesitates over the attribution. The perceptive stranger notices the doubt, creating the transition to the next lesson.