The fountain from the which my current runs,
Or else dries up; to be discarded thence!
Or keep it as a cistern for foul toads
To knot and gender in! Turn thy complexion there,
Patience, thou young and rose-lipp’d cherubin, –
Ay, there, look grim as hell!
– William Shakespeare
Othello, Act 4, Scene 2. The metaphorical image of a fountain is used for Desdemona as Othello’s life sustaining force, which has dried now that he believes she has been unfaithful. He uses grotesque animal imagery, saying that if he keeps her, she will become a toilet for toads to have sex in. Patience is personified as a cherubin looking "grim as hell" at the thought of this.