Quatrain 35
Quatrain 35 of 75
“I think the Vessel, that with fugitive
Articulation answer'd, once did live,
And merry-make; and the cold Lip I kiss'd
How many Kisses might it take—and give.”
Reflection · Autumn
The vessel that answered — the clay bowl that murmured its secret — once had lips of its own. Once did live and merry-make. The cold rim against which Khayyam presses his lips is the transformed remains of someone who also drank and laughed, in some other season of some other life. How many Kisses might it take — and give. The give is everything. The cold lip that seems inert — it also gave, once.
In autumn this verse is read in the garden among the fallen things. Every leaf, every dried stem — each one once did live and merry-make. The cold lip of autumn is the transformed life of summer.