رَجَعَ الْمُسَافِرُ لَيْلًا، وَالطَّرِيقُ صَامِتٌ؛ لَا يُسْمَعُ إِلَّا وَقْعُ خُطَاهُ.
The traveller returned at night while the road was silent; only his footsteps could be heard.
وَكَانَ فِي يَدِهِ رِسَالَةٌ تَحْمِلُ بُشْرَى لِأَهْلِ الدَّارِ.
In his hand was a letter carrying good news to the household.
فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ الْبَابَ، قَالَ: قَدْ عَادَ الْغَائِبُ سَالِمًا؛ فَانْفَتَحَتْ لِلْفَرَحِ قُلُوبٌ طَالَ انْتِظَارُهَا.
At the door he announced that the absent person had returned safely, and expectant hearts opened with joy.
فَمَا أَطْوَلَ لَيْلَ الْمُنْتَظِرِينَ، وَمَا أَقْصَرَهُ حِينَ تَصِلُ الْبُشْرَى!
How long a night seems to those who wait—and how short when good news arrives!
Unlike the earlier passages, this one creates a narrative emotion through silence, anticipation, disclosure and joy. Circumstantial description, restriction, temporal progression, imagery and exclamation work together.
When classifying imagery, ask whether the literal reading is possible, what contextual clue licenses figurative reading, and how the image interacts with neighbouring devices.