# LXXXVI explained — The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

> Chapter companion for The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám by Omar Khayyám.

## What happens

A vessel of ungainly make speaks up after a silence, questioning whether the Potter's hand shook when it was formed, as it leans awry and is sneered at for its imperfection.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Potter and Clay Metaphor

The vessel's complaint about its flawed shape directly invokes the potter and clay allegory, questioning divine craftsmanship.

## Key lines

> After a momentary silence spake Some Vessel of a more ungainly Make; "They sneer at me for leaning all awry: What! did the Hand then of the Potter shake?"

After a brief pause, a clumsily shaped pot spoke up: 'People mock me for being crooked—was the Potter's hand unsteady when making me?'

_The vessel questions whether its deformity is due to a flaw in the creator, not itself._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_rub_iy_t_of_omar_khayy_m_se/chapters/lxxxvi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_rub_iy_t_of_omar_khayy_m_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_rub_iy_t_of_omar_khayy_m_se/chapters