The Earthen Pot and the Iron Pot

An iron pot invites an earthen pot to travel with him. The earthen pot hesitates, believing the kitchen hearth is safest for something so brittle, while the iron pot needs no such protection. The iron pot promises to act as a bodyguard, placing himself between the earthen pot and any hard object that might threaten it. Persuaded, the earthen pot joins him. The iron pot walks beside his cousin as guard and guide, but their awkward movement causes them to knock together at every small jolt, hurting the earthen pot. At last the iron pot strikes his companion so violently that he shatters him before he can complain. The fable warns that one should associate only with equals.

By Jean de La Fontaine · First published 1668 · Genre: Fable, Didactic Literature, Moral Tale · 301 words

First lines

An iron pot proposed / To an earthen pot a journey. / The latter was opposed, / Expressing the concern he / Had felt about the danger / Of going out a ranger. / He thought the kitchen hearth / The safest place on earth / For one so very brittle. / 'For thee, who art a kettle, / And hast a tougher skin, / There's nought to keep thee in. ' / 'I'll be thy body-guard,' / Replied the iron pot; / 'If anything that's hard / Should threaten thee a jot, / Between you I will go, / And save thee from the blow. ' / This offer him persuaded. / The iron pot paraded / Himself as guard and guide / Close at his cousin's side. / Now, in their tripod way, / They hobble as they may; / And eke together bolt / At every little jolt, -- / Which gives the crockery pain; / But presently his comrade hits / So hard, he dashes him to bits, / Before he can complain.

• Open reader

Similar titles

• The Frog That Wished To Be As Big As The Ox by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Thieves And The Ass by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Oak And The Reed by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Grasshopper And The Ant by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Boy And The Schoolmaster by Jean De La Fontaine
• The Cat Metamorphosed Into A Woman by Jean De La Fontaine

Genres

• Fable — A short allegorical tale featuring personified pots and ending with an explicit moral about associating only with equals.
• Didactic Literature — Its primary purpose is to instruct readers about the danger faced by the weak when they depend on or accompany the powerful.
• Moral Tale — The plot demonstrates a clear ethical lesson: unequal partnerships can harm the more vulnerable party despite good intentions.
• Allegory — The iron and earthen pots represent unequal individuals or social groups whose differing strength makes companionship dangerous.

Tags

French fable · verse narrative · didactic poetry · animal-style allegory · moral tale · Aesopian tradition · seventeenth-century France · kitchen hearth · journey · iron pot · earthen pot · fragility

What this Textopian page supports

The Earthen Pot and the Iron Pot is listed on Textopian as a fable by Jean de La Fontaine, dated 1668 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

• Work type: Fable
• Author: Jean de La Fontaine
• Date: 1668 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Fable, Didactic Literature, Moral Tale, Allegory, Animal-Style Fable
• Length: 301 words
• Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Earthen Pot and the Iron Pot by Jean de La Fontaine
• Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
• Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
• Readability and classroom-planning context
• Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph

More by Jean de La Fontaine

• To Monseigneur the Dauphin (1668)
• The Grasshopper and the Ant (1668)
• The Raven and the Fox (1668)
• The Frog that Wished to be as Big as the Ox (1668)
• The Two Mules (1668)
• The Wolf and the Dog (1668)
• The Heifer, the Goat, and the Sheep, in Company with the Lion (1668)
• The Wallet (1668)
• All works by Jean de La Fontaine