The Pots of Broken Pieces

The Parable of the Broken Pot is an Ai-Naidari parable and has many versions. This version of the Parable of the Broken Pot first appeared in chapter seventeen of Black Blossom.

"Reck this: Once there was an aridkedi, a country Merchant, who was known far afield for her gift for making pots of extraordinary beauty… such beauty, in fact, that to see them broken was a cause for grief among all those who bought her work. They often brought her shattered pieces after one of those breaks, begging her to mend the pot, or grieving if it was beyond aid."

"Now, the potter was a good friend to an artist, who was taking tea with her one day when another Ai-Naidari brought a collection of these pieces to the shop. After the patron had left, the potter poured these pieces into a box behind her counter."

"‘What is that box?’ said the artist."

"‘This is where I dump the remains of my broken works,’ the potter said. ‘I have no use for the pieces, so I collect them here until I have time to dispose of them.’"

"‘Give them to me!’ the artist said. ‘I shall put them to work again.’"

"The aridkedi did so allow, and the artist took the box home. She assembled the broken pieces into new vases, strange and fragile and variegated. These vases became very popular as vauni haale—vessels used as focus for meditation. Some say they helped popularize the use of such vessels."

"This is the parable of the broken pot. Reck it well."