«وَالْغُلَامُ يُنْكِرُ عِرْفَتَهُ وَيُكْبِرُ فِرْقَتَهُ»
The youth denied knowing the elder and longed urgently to be free of him.
His response has two parts: denying acquaintance and wishing to escape the elder’s grip. ʿIrfatahu / firqatahu rhyme. Both sides make opposed claims; rhetorical elegance cannot establish which is true.
«وَالْخِصَامُ بَيْنَهُمَا مُتَطَايِرُ الشَّرَارِ»
Their quarrel seemed to be scattering sparks.
The conflict is likened to a fire throwing off sparks. The audience includes al-akhyār wa-l-ashrār, good and bad people alike. The paired opposites portray a mixed crowd; they do not supply a moral judgment about each spectator.