Those words of advice ignited a warm fire in my heart.

15:57, 27/11/2023

Then tomorrow I'll leave.

Then tomorrow I'll come down the mountain.

Astonished

The land is vast, the sky is low.

First step

The child tripped over his heel.

Then tomorrow I'll come down the mountain.

Meeting at the crossroads of seven or ten intersections.

Encountering people's hearts: red, yellow, black, white.

Each time I stumble.

I will suddenly remember the teacher in the mountains.

Parents give their children axe handles and sickles.

Spanning an arm's length across three hills

But there wasn't enough rice and a satchel.

On the road far towards the horizon

The teacher sat silently in the late night mist.

A fur-collared coat is no match for the cold jungle air.

Paying attention to lesson plans is like tending to tiny, crackling embers.

Keep the fire burning brightly, warming my heart forever.

That flame was like a handful of rice when hungry.

It's a small walking stick to hold onto when it rains.

It's a finger tapping on the door latch.

Behind that, a wide smile unfolded.

Tomorrow I'll come down from the mountain.

With the first bundle of belongings

Flowing like a stream to the sea.

Never forget the source of our heritage.

Aluminum Blast Furnace

Lo Cao Nhum, a poet of the Thai ethnic group, has had many notable poems such as "Mountain Wine," "Moon Floor," and "Tung Con"... His poetry is fresh, deeply rooted in the regional culture of the Northwest ethnic groups, and reflects a sense of responsibility towards the community in the face of changes and the erosion of traditional culture. His poem "Then Tomorrow You Will Leave" is selected for teaching in high schools; it is a touching and profound message from parents to their children. The lesson about raising children in the work serves as a guide, a "burning flame" nurturing the soul of the child on their journey ahead.

As is customary, separation always brings sadness to both those who leave and those who remain. Lo Cao Nhum worked as a teacher in the highlands for many years. After each season when the flamboyant trees blazed red against the sky, a new group of students would descend the mountain, continuing with their new aspirations. The author begins the poem simply yet profoundly with the heartfelt words of a father advising his son: "Tomorrow you will descend the mountain / Be astonished / The land is vast, the sky is low / With your first step / You will stumble."

"Descending the mountain" signifies the father's arrival at a new, vast, and challenging horizon. He can only watch his son leave, offering heartfelt advice. The son's astonishment at the vastness of the land and the narrow sky is understandable. In fact, through this expression, the author conveys the son's surprise at the many changes he experiences upon descending the mountain for the first time.

However, the sincerity and brevity of the father's advice to his son lie in the second stanza. "After descending the mountain, the bustling city streets with their many crossroads will make it easy for you to get lost." This is the advice of someone who has descended from the mountain, someone with rich life experience and a deep understanding of life. But even if you get lost, you can still ask for directions to find your way home; this isn't what the father worries about most. What parents fear most is that their son won't be able to discern people's true nature when the lines between "red, yellow, black, and white" are blurred and indistinct: "Tomorrow you will descend the mountain / Encounter the city streets with their many crossroads / Encounter people's hearts with their red, yellow, black, and white colors / Each time you stumble / You will suddenly remember your teacher on the mountain."

After each setback, the father hoped his child would turn to the teacher who taught him in the mountains. In the father's view, the teacher was a role model, a standard for the child to emulate and grow. The teacher remained high in the mountains, watching over his beloved student, offering encouragement and support. Remembering the teacher meant finding a pillar of support, a source of faith and love to give him strength on his journey towards the future.

Parents love their children, but they only give them "axes and sickles," while teachers give them literacy to embark on their journey towards distant horizons. Parents are farmers, unable to provide enough food and provisions for their children on their long journeys. Their diligent labor is certainly necessary, but it's not enough to equip their children, especially on a path fraught with challenges: "Parents give their children axes and sickles / To swing them across three hills / But not enough food and provisions / On the long journey towards the horizon."

The teacher will be the one to encourage and inspire the student, giving them the strength to continue alongside their loved ones. The teacher becomes a messenger of faith, love, and the aspiration to strive for great things in life. The teacher may not possess material possessions or money, but they will ignite a flame in the hearts of their students through their diligent lesson plans, working tirelessly day and night. The image of the "flame" thus becomes a beautiful and sacred symbol of a vast and lofty dream; a bright and happy future for the student: That flame is the rice bowl when hungry / The small stick to lean on in the rain / The finger tapping on the doorknob / Behind it, a wide-open smile.

The artistry of comparing fire to "a bowl of rice when hungry," "a walking stick to lean on on a rainy road," or "a finger tapping on a doorknob" to encounter kind, trusting smiles makes the poem rich in imagery and meaning through the concise expression of the poet Lo Cao Nhum.

The stanzas above repeat the refrain "Then tomorrow I will descend the mountain" twice, along with the terms of address "father and mother," "teacher," and "child," creating a sense of intimacy and closeness. We can almost picture the father sitting beside his child, holding their hand, carefully advising them about the ups and downs, joys and sorrows of life—meaning father and child facing each other in these moments of parting. The emotion and poignancy are indescribable. In the final stanza, Lo Cao Nhum continues the theme of advice, but in a deeper and more heartfelt way. It is a lesson about responsibility to one's roots and homeland, a lesson the child must never forget: "Tomorrow I will descend the mountain / With my first bag of belongings / I will go like a stream flowing to the sea / Never forget the source of my roots."

The poem is not just written for one person or one generation; it is also a source of the past, conveying a message to the present and the future.

Le Thanh Van

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