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The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám · Chapter
XXXVII explained
The speaker recalls observing a Potter working his wet clay, which murmurs a plea for gentle handling, using its obliterated tongue.
What happens
The speaker recalls observing a Potter working his wet clay, which murmurs a plea for gentle handling, using its obliterated tongue.
Themes in this chapter
The Potter and Clay Metaphor
The Potter thumping his wet clay and the clay's plea for gentleness directly invoke this metaphor.
Characters to notice
- The Bonhomme
The speaker who remembers stopping to watch the Potter.
Key passages
“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!"”
I recall pausing on my path to observe a Potter working his moist clay, and the clay, though its voice was nearly gone, whispered, 'Please, friend, handle me softly.'
The clay's plea for gentle treatment echoes themes of mortality and the fragility of life.