«ثُمَّ إِنَّهُ نَشَرَ مِنْ وَشْيِ السَّمَرِ مَا أَزْرَى بِالْحَرِيرِ إِلَى أَنْ أَظَلَّ التَّنْوِيرُ»
Then he unfolded such embroidered beauty in the night’s conversation that even silk seemed dull, until dawn drew near.
Washy is embroidery or ornamented fabric, samar is night conversation, and azrā bi-l-ḥarīr means to make silk seem inferior. The ornate speech is imagined as embroidered cloth.
Abū Zayd’s claim and the gathering’s pledges have transformed the evening: a stranger’s plea became a remarkable family story, and his eloquence carried the conversation through the night to dawn.