Buds (Symbol)
Flower buds symbolize both beauty and children in the poem. The Vietnamese people “gathered once to delight in blossoms” before the war, but stopped after their children were killed by bombs. Because flower buds represent new life, it is also a symbol for the continuity of a people through reproduction.
Ornament (Motif)
The poem includes images from everyday ornaments and jewelry. The substances named are bone, ivory, jade, and silver. These objects are associated with happiness and celebration, which is why they fall out of use once the war comes. As the responder says, “Ornament is for joy.”
Singing and Speaking (Motif)
The questioner wants to know whether the Vietnamese “distinguish[ed] speech and singing.” This motif appears again in the answer, which states that their speech was like singing. In other words, their language was so melodious and beautiful that hearing it was like listening to a song. Similarly, their songs were so beautiful that they were like "the flight of moths in moonlight." This motif also appears in the poem’s final last line, in which both singing and talking stop: “It is silent now.”
