Evoking the footprints of those who sowed letters and protected the country

The teacher sat in the chair giving a lecture.

Wooden crutches placed next to the table

Where is a foot?

We do not know.

Every morning American bombs fall

Royal poinciana trees fell down and the school roof tiles were ripped off.

The blackboard surface is full of bombs.

The teacher took the gun and left.

Reading exercises teach us unfinished

Royal poinciana

Royal poinciana flowers burned a corner of the sky like fire.

This year the teacher returned

The smile is still intact as before

But one foot is gone.

Oh feet

Printed on the school gate on cold afternoons

Printed on the school gate on rainy nights

The crutch marks on both sides look like two rows of holes.

We recognized the teacher's feet.

Like realizing the imperfection

of my life

The teacher's feet were left behind in Khe Sanh.

Or Tay Ninh, Dong Thap ?

Foot tramples on enemy's head

For the reason to live as a human.

I listened to the teacher's every word.

Vibrating many thoughts

Listen to the deep echo of footsteps fighting against America

Hear the echoes of the call of battle.

I go through the length of love

Depth of the country

Following the footsteps of last year's teacher

And the teacher's foot, the lost foot

Still lead us through life.

“ Teacher’s Feet” not only depicts the image of a teacher - a person who spreads knowledge but also symbolizes a soldier - a person who protects the country. Through the image of “teacher’s feet”, poet Tran Dang Khoa wrote a quiet but touching poem, full of gratitude for the generation of teachers and for the Vietnamese people who sacrificed for the Fatherland.

The poem opens with a familiar scene in a village classroom, simple yet warm: The teacher sits on a chair lecturing/A pair of wooden crutches placed next to the table/Where is one foot/We don't know. "The teacher sits lecturing", is still the same old teacher devoted to his students, but next to him are "a pair of wooden crutches" - a vestige of war. The question "where is one foot" is not only the innocence of the students but also the surprise and emotion of an entire generation when they realize: the person who sows words today is the person who held a gun to protect the country yesterday.

The next verse is the poet's emotional transition to depict the moment the teacher left the podium to go to the battlefield. The poet uses a series of listed images to generalize the painful reality of that day: "American bombs", "the school roof is tiled", "the blackboard is full of bomb holes". These unique poetic images not only depict the brutality of war but also show that the school - the place where knowledge is sown - is also the front line of patriotism. The image of "unfinished reading exercise" has many layers of meaning: unfinished lesson, unfinished dream, unfinished childhood and also a continuation because that "lesson" followed the teacher to the battlefield, turning into a lesson on being human. The verse "Royal poinciana flowers burn a corner of the sky like fire" is both realistic and metaphorical: the red color of the royal poinciana blends with the color of blood, the color of ideals, the color of youth ready to sacrifice.

How touching, when the war was over, the teacher returned: This year the teacher returned/The smile was still intact as before/But one foot was no longer there. With just three lines of poetry, the author made the reader silent. “The intact smile” symbolizes the indomitable, optimistic spirit of the soldier. “One foot was no longer there” - not a lament, but a mark of time, the blood and bones that the teacher left for the country. The loss of the teacher was so that the students could still sit in the peaceful school today.

But perhaps the middle of the poem is the most emotional part, where the “teacher’s feet” become a symbol of sacrifice and resilience, moving and stirring the reader’s heart: Oh feet/Printed on the school gate on cold afternoons/Printed on the school gate on rainy nights/The crutch marks on both sides like two rows of holes/We recognize the teacher’s feet/Like recognizing the imperfection/of our lives. “The imperfection of our lives” is a very humane discovery, because that “imperfection” is the perfection of personality, the wound that turns into dignity. The teacher does not complain, does not hide, still goes, still teaches, still sows words with his remaining foot; and that is why the poem elevates the teacher to the level of a symbol of silent dedication.

After all, the beauty of the poem is that the poet does not separate the teacher from the soldier, but lets the two images merge into one, both originating from the ideal of living for people, for the Fatherland. Thanks to that, the image of the teacher appears both simple and majestic, full of epic qualities. "The teacher's foot" is not only a wound, but also "the foot that trampled on the enemy's head", the mark of a hero who fought for "the reason to live as a human being". In the flow of the poem, "foot" gradually goes beyond the real meaning, becoming a symbol of fighting spirit and national pride.

The final stanza elevates “teacher’s feet” to a general level, becoming a symbolic image. From “length of love” to “depth of country” are the two axes of space and time of the poem. “Teacher’s feet” – though “lost” – still “lead us through life”: a touching image. Here, “teacher’s feet” have transcended all physical limitations to become a sign of ideals, of dedication and of undying faith.

The great value of the poem lies in its natural, soulful but richly resonant tone. The structure and emotional flow are developed in a flashback: from the present (“the teacher sat on the chair lecturing”) to the past of war (“the teacher took up his gun and left”), then back to the peaceful present (“this year the teacher returned”) and closed with philosophical reflections (“the lost feet/still lead us through life”). That structure makes the poem like a memory film, with an opening, a closing, a climax and an emotional ending; the poetic language is simple, close like a conversation, but contains profound evocation. In particular, the repetition of the word “teacher’s feet” throughout the poem serves both to emphasize and create a steady rhythm like the unceasing footsteps – the footsteps of the teacher, the soldier and also of the history of the nation moving forward.

The work reminds us that today's peace was bought with the blood and tears of countless people. It also arouses in the reader's respect for the teaching profession - the profession that sows the seeds of the soul, and at the same time contributes to preserving the sacred spirit of the nation.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/van-hoa-du-lich-van-hoc-nghe-thuat/van-hoc-nghe-thuat/202511/goi-khac-dau-chan-nguoi-gioi-gioi-va-giu-nuoc-a201785/