I think the Vessel, that with fugitive
Articulation answer'd, once did live,
And drink; and Ah! the passive Lip I kiss'd,
How many Kisses might it take—and give!
The inspiration for this quatrain occurs in O. 9.
This jug was once a plaintive lover, as I am,
And was in pursuit of one of comely face;[50]
This handle that thou seest upon its neck
Is an arm that once lay around the neck of a friend.
Ref.: O. 9, C. 48 and 426, L. 81, B. 77, S.P. 28, P. 108, B. ii. 28, P. v. 142.—W. 32, N. 28, E.C. 5, V. 80.
For I remember stopping by the way
To watch a Potter thumping his wet Clay;
And with its all-obliterated Tongue
It murmur'd—«Gently, Brother, gently, pray!»
The original of this quatrain is O. 89.
I saw a potter in the bazaar yesterday,
He was violently pounding some fresh clay,
And that clay said to him in mystic language,
«I was once like thee—so treat me well.»
Ref.: O. 89, C. 261, L. 411, B. 407, S.P. 210, P. 100, B. ii. 274, P. iv. 71, P. v. 198.—W. 252, N. 211, V. 434.