«فَلَبِثْتُ إِلَى أَنْ زَهَرَتْ نُجُومُ الظَّلَامِ وَانْتَثَرَتْ عُقُودُ الزِّحَامِ»
I waited until the stars of night shone and the linked strands of the crowd scattered.
Nujūm al-ẓalām are stars against darkness. ʿUqūd al-ziḥām compares tightly packed people to a necklace whose beads disperse. The motions are opposite: stars appear, the crowd breaks apart. The night scene allows al-Ḥārith to seek out the elder privately and test his suspicion.
«فَنَشَدْتُهُ اللَّهَ أَهُوَ أَبُو زَيْدٍ؟ فَقَالَ: إِي وَحَلِّ الصَّيْدِ»
I appealed to God and asked: Is this Abū Zayd? He replied: Yes, by the lawfulness of the hunt!
Nashadtuhu Allāh means to appeal to someone by God. Ī is an affirmative response; ḥill al-ṣayd refers to the permissibility of hunting. Hunting imagery prepares the next confession about a son and a trap. The elderly petitioner is now explicitly identified as Abū Zayd.