The Sermon on the Vessel

The development of language is the goal of philosophy,
But there is also action. One use stems from the other.
If the vessel is broken -- if there are cracks in the ceramic --
Then whether you gather the sweet grape's ferment
Or the honeyed nectar of flowers from ruddy combs,
The glistening jar, adorned with figures of dancing women,
Leaks; their dresses stain with blood, or pus,
And they urinate all over themselves.
This makes the figures of dancing women
Most unlucky, since they'd put on fine clothes
And oiled their skin, had strung themselves
With pearls and adornments to sway like young shoots,
Bamboo in the breeze. Therefore protect the language
As you would a woman, or any other joyous human
Being. On the other hand, don't rape the jar
With viscous fluid, or mud that mingles with swine;
Don't fill it with gems or strings
Of pearl, the kinds that merchants fancy,
Imported purples, silken rugs -- first
The ceramic should be simple, sublime, invested
With dignity, clothed in the order of hard-baked clay.
Next, it should be filled with water from a clear stream,
The kind that quenches the thirst of a parched man
Sated of days. If you are a skilled potter,
And a gatherer of fine things good for the health
Of the one who partakes them, then, and only then,
I would call you a lover of wisdom and art.