The Cracked Pot

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 ten of Black Blossom.


 * Reck this: Once there was an aridkedi, a country merchant who created pots for her small town, and so skilled was she that she was the sole seller of pots who was, indeed, the sole seller of pots, not only to her community but abroad as well. So great was her talent, she promised to mend any pot that cracked, or replace one beyond repair, and such was her skill that she was not often called upon to fulfill her promise.


 * One day, the Servant of the Lady of her atani brought her one of her pots, which had developed a fine, thin crack.


 * "How may I serve you?" the potter asked.


 * "My mistress's pot has broken," the Servant said, handing it to her. "We would be pleased to have it mended."


 * The potter examined the pot carefully, fingers exploring the crack. And then, suddenly, she smashed it against the counter.


 * She gave the startled Servant a new pot and said, "That one was flawed, and the repair would only have hidden its weakness. Take this one instead."


 * The Servant left with the new pot, and the aridkedi ground the shards of the old pot into powder and used them to add texture to the glaze on a new work. For while the old one would not have borne more stress, thanks to its maker's wisdom it remained useful to the very end.


 * This is the tale of the broken pot. Reck it well.