Top 10 Pieces Reflecting Emotions on a Luc Bat Poem - Literature 6 (KNTT Book) Best Picks

A father's labor is like towering mountains

A mother's sacrifice is like the waters of the East Sea

Mountains high and oceans vast

Nine words engraved express my heart, oh dear child!

This folk poem stirs the hearts of many by evoking the parental love and sacrifices. The folk author mentions 'father's labor' and 'mother's sacrifice,' signifying the acts of giving birth, nurturing, and the deep affection a mother showers upon her child. The metaphors 'father's labor' and 'mother's sacrifice' likened to towering mountains and the vast waters of the East Sea emphasize the greatness and infinity of parental love, akin to the vastness of nature. The image of the father is sturdy, powerful, symbolizing the pillar of the family. The image of the mother, not grandiose but deep, expansive, and emotionally rich. Therefore, reflecting on the parents' sacrifices, the folk poem earnestly urges children to remember these divine debts. Moreover, it guides towards gratitude and expressing gratitude towards parents.

Humans have roots, like trees have roots, like rivers have sources.

This is one of the best folk poems on the theme of family affection. The folk poem speaks of the loyalty that descendants have for their ancestors. It reminds us to be grateful to our ancestors and the broader lineage. The imagery compares humans to trees and rivers. Trees have roots, rivers have upper sources, where they begin to grow and thrive. Similarly, humans owe their existence to their ancestors. The folk poem uses the familiar lục bát verse form, presenting in a simple and understandable way, urging descendants to remember to be grateful to their ancestors, not to forget their duty. The familiar and straightforward imagery serves as a reminder of gratitude to previous generations. Through this, the folk poem expresses deep gratitude to ancestors and previous generations for a long time.

The Vietnamese people possess admirable qualities, as exemplified in the folk poem:

'What in the pond is as beautiful as the lotus?

Green leaves, white blossoms, and golden pistils,

Golden pistils, white blossoms, green leaves,

Close to the mud, yet not foul-smelling like mud.'

The folk poem employs the imagery of the lotus flower to symbolize human qualities. It begins with a poetic question, 'What in the pond is as beautiful as the lotus?', affirming that while there are many vibrant flowers in the pond, none can compare to the lotus. The subsequent lines paint a picture of their simple yet elegant beauty: green leaves, white blossoms, and golden pistils. The use of the proverb 'golden pistils,' 'white blossoms,' and 'green leaves' evokes the image of layered petals forming the lotus flower. The final line, 'Close to the mud, yet not foul-smelling like mud,' alludes to the lotus's growth in muddy environments, known for their foul odors. Despite this, the lotus exudes a gentle fragrance. Similarly, the Vietnamese people lead humble, modest lives. Yet they possess noble qualities, living in difficult circumstances while maintaining lofty spirits. In just a concise folk poem, the beauty of the Vietnamese people is eloquently expressed.

Almost every child in Vietnam is fortunate enough to be immersed in the sweet lullabies of their mother or grandmother from the cradle. The folk poem about 'Father's Virtue, Mother's Love' seems deeply ingrained in everyone's memory:

'Father's virtue is like towering mountains,

Mother's love is like the waters of the East Sea.

Mountains high, seas vast and boundless,

The epitaph inscribes nine characters deep in my heart, oh child!'

The first line speaks of 'father's virtue.' Father's virtue was once compared to Mount Tai; here, father's virtue is likened to 'towering mountains,' majestic and tall, reaching to the azure skies, piercing the heavens. The second line speaks of 'mother's love' - mother's love is expansive, boundless, beyond measure. Mother's love is compared to the 'waters of the East Sea.' The art of comparison and symmetry creates two magnificent images, both concretizing and allegorizing, both praising the virtue of father and mother's love as well as the deep, profound love. The folk verse gently reminds us all to look up at the towering mountains, the high heavens, to gaze out at the East Sea, to listen to the waves' melody and contemplate father's virtue and mother's love. Soaked and deeply moved.

'Father's virtue is like towering mountains,

Mother's love is like the waters of the East Sea.'

The last two lines, the poetic tone rises tenderly and sweetly. The exclamation 'oh child!' is a reminder of the affectionate message about the duty of a child to 'inscribe' the deeds of father's virtue and mother's love

'Mountains high, seas vast and boundless,

The epitaph inscribes nine characters deep in my heart, oh child!'

The above lines are a metaphor, reiterating, emphasizing the virtue of father's and mother's love as 'Mountains high, seas vast and boundless.' In the final line of the folk poem, the folk poet uses the term 'nine characters' in Sino-Vietnamese to express the immense gratitude of parents such as giving birth, nurturing, breastfeeding, caring, and educating. The folk poem is a profound reminder of the duty of every individual to their progenitors.

Since ancient times, our ancestors have understood the roles and the bonds of affection among those who live together under one roof. Alongside the sacred and noble sentiment of maternal love, siblinghood is also regarded as an intimate, profound emotion and an endless source of inspiration in music and poetry:

Siblings are like hands and feet,

One helps the other, whether it's to patch up or to alleviate burdens.

What is siblinghood in a family? It's a familiar concept in life but often overlooked. Siblinghood is the bond between siblings who share the same bloodline, the same flesh and blood, who live under the same roof, nurtured by the same wellspring of affection, sharing sacred feelings, bonds, and helping each other in life. Siblinghood is also understood as when parents or other relatives are absent, siblings must love, protect, and support each other through difficulties and hardships. Since childhood, we've often read or heard touching fairy tales about siblinghood like 'The Red and the Blackberries,' 'The Legend of Betel and Areca Nut,' and so on. Although each story carries different themes and nuances, they all emphasize the deep love between siblings in a household. Additionally, there are many stories that criticize siblings for their lack of love, for competing and being jealous of each other, such as 'Eating the Quince and Paying with Gold,' 'The Argument Over Gold and Silver,' and more.

Our ancestors often said:

Good wood is better than good paint,

A person's inner beauty is more valuable than their outward appearance.

The folk author ingeniously used the imagery of a house pillar, consisting of wood and paint, to speak about human qualities. Our ancestors emphasized that a true pillar should prioritize the quality of the wood over the external paint layer. From this, it is implied that in being human, inner qualities, character, and talents are more important than the fleeting beauty of outward appearance. This sentiment is affirmed by the comparison in the second verse. The use of 'better than' expresses the absolute high regard of our ancestors for the intrinsic value of human beings. Thus, our ancestors advised us to build good character, cultivate and refine intellect and skills, rather than just valuing external beauty. To this day, that lesson remains fully valuable.

The solitary land and water,

The heron ascends and descends the falls and rapids.

Who fills that abyss,

Or empties that pond, leaving the thin heron?

The poem above depicts the lament of poor farmers in the ancient society. They are likened to white herons, living a fateful, unstable, and difficult life. Not a day goes by that they can rest peacefully. The heron's body is slender, frail, yet it performs strenuous and laborious tasks. Like sickly, impoverished farmers who toil day in and day out, selling their faces to the land and their backs to the sky. It is truly pitiful and bitter. Despite knowing the pain, hardship, and suffering, these farmers do not know what to do. With such lowly status and tiny throats, how can they resist the wicked, cruel, and excessively greedy individuals outside? They cannot even directly name those villains, resorting only to the impersonal pronoun 'who.' The image of the 'thin heron' at the end of the poem adds to the haunting nature of the fate of future generations. The poem, with its gentle rhythm akin to a lullaby, with many suggestive metaphors, evokes feelings of compassion and sorrow for the unfortunate fate of farmers. The image of the 'heron' permeates the entire poem, deeply imprinting on the reader's mind the sympathy for those unfortunate, pitiable destinies.

Brothers from distant lands,

Together with parents, under one roof, one family, one bond.

Love each other like hands and feet,

Brothers in harmony, two bodies in joy.

The verses above have been passed down through generations like a folk song. In the poem, the word 'together' is repeated twice, affirming the close bond between siblings. Particularly, the folk author was very clever to use the image of brothers to compare with hands and feet. Hands and feet are separate parts of the body, but always coordinate smoothly to work, support the body. Likewise, siblings are different individuals, but they will always be together, living together, helping, and sharing with each other. That is the extremely sacred and precious kinship. With a gentle rhythm, the emotional lục bát verse form, the poem is a gentle, heartfelt message from parents to their children about the affectionate sibling relationship. Helping readers better understand and cherish their siblings.

Among the treasures of lục bát folk poetry, I particularly adore the verse:

Say words, keep them

Don't be like a butterfly, perching then flying away.

The comparison between words and a butterfly delights me. The folk author uses the image of a fluttering butterfly, alighting and then flying away, leaving no trace behind. This is to criticize those who only like to speak but do not keep their promises. Their words are like butterflies, spoken and then flown away, leaving nothing behind, unable to fulfill what they say. Through this image, our ancestors emphasize to the younger generation the lesson of 'faithfulness', saying what you mean and doing what you say. This valuable lesson is encapsulated in two lục bát verses, easy to remember and easy to hear.

Our ancestors had a folk verse:

Look up at the rain dripping from the roof

As much rain as there is, that's how much we remember our grandparents.

The folk author compared the amount of rain dripping from the roof to their feelings for their grandparents. In traditional house architecture, the amount of rain dripping from a roof is often abundant, beyond count. Along with this comparison, the author also used the escalating phrase 'as much - that much.' Thus, it affirms the overflowing love, the deep longing they have for their grandparents, which cannot be fully counted. That longing, combined with the action of looking up to remember their grandparents, demonstrates the respect of the grandchildren. Through this, the folk verse praises and extols the sacred and cherished family affection.