By Anto Narasoma
Translated (Indonesian-English) by Trans_PC Team
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The most essential architect of human intelligence and wisdom is the teacher—one whose nobility of character and integrity of knowledge shape generations yet to come.
Upon closer reflection, a teacher does not merely instruct in the academic sense; a teacher must also learn from the very children they guide. Is this truly necessary?
The question dissolves into its own answer, for the principle has long been foundational: a teacher must remain a lifelong learner, especially of the young minds entrusted to their care.
Before assessing academic achievement, a teacher must first understand the psychological landscape of each student. Every child embodies a different temperament, a unique character, and a personal history all their own. Thus, before teaching begins, the truer calling of the teacher is to understand these varied souls.
When standing before a classroom, it is ideal that the teacher has already “studied” the constellation of personalities before them. Such understanding becomes the invisible bridge across which knowledge travels more gently and more deeply.
It is this delicate, intimate universe of teaching and learning that the poet Leni Marlina contemplates with tenderness and insight.
In her bilingual anthology The Beloved Teachers (Guru-guru Tercinta), Leni Marlina presents thirty-seven poems that illuminate the figure of the teacher through a psychological, ethical, and profoundly human lens. Her command of English enables her to articulate the subtleties of good pedagogy and the moral force of exemplary teachers with clarity and grace.
In this reciprocal realm—where teachers teach even as they learn—affection and gratitude emerge in both directions. Especially when a teacher instructs with gentleness: with words that honor the emotions of their students, and with actions that model dignity, patience, and compassion. Psychologically, such a climate fosters achievement not only for students but for teachers themselves.
One of the anthology’s notable poems, “The Beloved and Longed-for Teacher” (p. 21), reveals how the poet crafts an intimate world of affection and remembrance through soft, luminous metaphors. Consider these lines:
Teacher, you dwell in every memory //
Among the words you inscribed upon the board //
Your voice still echoes within my thoughts //
Though time has passed and distance widens…
We loved you with a sincerity unfaltering //
Not for the lessons you imparted //
But for the kindness you never hid //
In every smile, in every whispered counsel.
The poem continues in this quiet, reverent tone.
Leni Marlina shapes her metaphors with a rhythm suggestive of a child’s humble awe toward those who formed their earliest world. Her imagery affirms a universal truth long echoed by E. E. Cummings: that teachers are among the most formative figures in human life, for they give all they possess—wholeheartedly and without reserve.
Her poem “The Pens of the Teachers” (p. 25) again elevates the teacher through a resonant symbol of enduring devotion:
O my teacher, writing over there //
At the tip of the pen you grip so firmly //
You carve letters that outlive the age…
The line “At the tip of the pen you grip so firmly” captures the steadfast resolve of teachers who pour their strength into shaping young minds. Meanwhile, “You carve letters that outlive the age” becomes a metaphor for students who carry their teachers’ legacy across time, far beyond the boundaries of the classroom.
No work is entirely without imperfection. In this poem, a minor error appears in the use of “menghantarkan,” which should be “mengantar.” Yet this small flaw does little to diminish the overall beauty and integrity of the work.
This bilingual anthology deserves careful reading by young audiences. Beyond its poetic delicacy, it offers a reflective space—quiet, contemplative, and ethically rich—on the profound process of teaching, learning, and becoming fully human.
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About the Author
Anto Narasoma — Senior Journalist & Indonesian Poet
(PPIPM-Indonesia, PPIC, SatuPena Lampung, KEAI, and national literary communities)
Anto Narasoma is a national poet and veteran journalist whose works have quietly but enduringly enriched the landscape of Indonesian literature. His voice—tempered by sincerity, discipline, and experience—allows his poems to explore themes of love, longing, faith, and the intricate textures of human relationships with gentle depth.
His style often reflects spiritual introspection and subtle cultural critique—never designed to dazzle, but always to illuminate and touch the reader’s heart.
As a senior mentor at the Pondok Puisi Inspirasi Masyarakat (PPIPM-Indonesia): Indonesian Poetry Readers and Writers Community, he accompanies young poets with humility and devotion. He believes poetry is a bridge—toward healing, toward awareness, and toward a deeper sense of shared humanity.
He is also an active member of the Poetry-Pen International Community (PPIC), contributing to intercultural conversations that celebrate poetic diversity. Though he does not seek the spotlight, his works have travelled beyond Indonesia’s borders.
In 2022, he received a Literary Award from the Spanish International Literary Association—an honor he accepted not as personal triumph, but as encouragement to continue offering words that nourish the spirit.
With humility and unwavering purpose, Anto Narasoma continues to walk the path of poetry, believing that even the gentlest words may reveal truth, and even the softest poem can open the heart of a nation.
