5 Aban 1404
Quatrain 64 of 75
“Said one—"Folks of a surly Tapster tell,
And daub his Visage with the Smoke of Hell;
They talk of some strict Testing of us—Pish!
He's a Good Fellow, and 'twill all be well."”
Reflection · Autumn 1404
In autumn the pot who said 'twill all be well is reconsidering. Not abandoning the position — but the strict testing they dismissed in spring has begun to feel slightly less dismissible. The Pish! is quieter. The smoke of Hell daubed on the surly tapster's visage — in autumn you can smell wood smoke in the air, actual smoke.
But 'twill all be well — the pot holds to this in autumn not because the evidence demands it but because the alternative is too heavy to carry. The good fellow tapster is still there. Until the last cup is refused, the position is defensible.