A water bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the master's house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

印度有一个挑水工，他有两个大罐子，分别挂在肩上的扁担两头。其中一个罐子做工精细，从不漏水，另一个上面则有一道裂缝。每当挑水工回到雇主家时，罐子里的水就只剩一半了。

For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his master's house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments¹, perfect to the end for which it was made. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable² that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be a bitter failure, it spoke³ to the water bearer one day by the stream.

这样过了整整两年，这个挑水工每天挑到雇主家的水仅有一罐半。当然，那个完好的罐子为自己的成就甚感自豪。而那个可怜的有裂缝的罐子却因自身的瑕疵而羞愧不已，为自己只能装一半水而痛苦不堪。 痛苦了两年后，一天，那个有裂缝的罐子在小溪边对挑水工说：

"I am ashamed of myself, and I want to apologize to you."

我很惭愧，想向你道歉。”

"Why?" asked the bearer. "What are you ashamed of?"

“为什么？”挑水工问，“你羞愧什么呢？”

"I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master's house. Because of my flaws⁵, you have to do all of this work, and you don't get full value from your efforts," the pot said.

“为这两年来只能让你挑回一半的水。因为我身上的这个裂缝，每次你回雇主家的路上，水都在漏，到家时就只剩下半罐了。正是我的裂缝，你不得不多挑几次水，这样就浪费了你的部分劳动价值。”罐子说道。

The water bearer felt sorry for the old cracked pot, and in his compassion⁶ he said, "As we return to the master's house, I want you to notice the beautiful flowers along the path."

挑水工对这个有裂痕的旧罐子感到很抱歉，他同情地说道：“当我们返回雇主家时，我希望你能留心路旁那些美丽的花朵。”

Indeed, as they went up the hill, the old cracked pot took notice of the sun warming the beautiful wild flowers on the side of the path, and this cheered it some. But at the end of the trail, it still felt bad because it had leaked out half its load, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.

的确如此，当他们上山时，这个有裂缝的旧罐子注意到了路旁的野花，它们沐浴在阳光中非常漂亮。它感到了一丝快乐，但到雇主家时，它又为自己漏了一半水而难过起来，于是，它再次为自己的失败向挑水工道歉。

The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of your path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw⁴, and I took advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back from the stream, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master's table. Without you being just the way you are, he would not have this beauty to grace his house."

挑水工对罐子说：“你注意到了吗？你这边沿路都有花，而另一边就没有？我早就注意到了你的裂缝，我就是利用这一点，在你这侧的路边种上花籽。每天，我们从小溪回来时，你就给它们浇了水。这两年，我就采这些漂亮的花朵来装点雇主的桌子。倘若你不漏水，他就没有这么美丽的鲜花来装饰屋子了。”