Commentary on He Qiaoyi’s “Father”

Abstract

Singaporean poet He Qiaoyi’s poem “Father” portrays a silent yet resilient father figure, metaphorically likened to “a pile of old, dry wood” that endures hardships—depicted through parallel phrases like “throw their cigarette butts at him”—while retaining a “spark” waiting to rekindle. The father’s silence, emphasized by words such as “silent” and “solitary,” contrasts with his fortitude and optimism (“Spreading sunlight over the earth”). Beneath the plain diction lies profound love and respect for the father. The poem echoes themes in Luo Zhongli’s 1980 oil painting Father (depicting a weathered yet courageous elder) and Ezra Pound’s “Pact” (exploring intergenerational connection), highlighting the father’s silent strength as a source of enduring love and potential rekindling of affection.