June 26th is known in Thailand as Sunthorn Phu Day, to commemorate the birthday of Sunthorn Phu, one of Thailand’s most celebrated poets. The William Shakespeare of Thailand, Sunthorn Phu produced several renowned works that continue to be frequently quoted in contemporary culture.
Sunthorn Phu, whose full court title was Phra Sunthorn Voharn, was born in 1786. In 1816, he entered royal service during the reign of King Rama II, a monarch whose era became known as a golden time for Thai poetry and literature. It was said that when King Rama II got stuck while writing a verse for the Ramayana epic, none of his other courtiers were able to help him continue writing to his satisfaction. Sunthorn Phu, however, was able to continue writing the poem, thus quickly becoming favored by the king. Even later in life when Sunthorn Phu was jailed after a fight, he was pardoned by King Rama II when his poetic services were once again needed.
Much of classical Thai poetry has remained untranslated with the original poetic structures intact. This piece will guide you through the structure of the khlon paed, the poetic form most favored by Sunthorn Phu, along with some of his most famous poems.
The khlon paed: Thailand’s most popular form of poetry
There are several forms of poetry in Thailand, but one of the most common is the khlon paed (“the eight poem”), named as such because each line usually contains eight syllables. Each stanza contains four such lines, all of which are connected through a rhyming scheme as seen below. Each stanza is also connected to another stanza with another rhyme (in purple).
Each circle represents a syllable. In the khlon paed, the standard structure is for there to be two key rhymes: the first syllable of the first line with the third syllable of the second line, and then the final syllable of the second line with the last syllable of the third line and the third syllable of the fourth line. When writing several stanzas, the last syllable of the first stanza must also rhyme with the last syllable of the second line of the second stanza. There are also conventions on which tones can go where in the poem. Accomplished poets will usually aim to include more internal rhymes than the rules dictate, to make the poem flow. Poets will sometimes take a few liberties with where exactly the rhymes occur, or the syllables in each line.
Here is an example of how this rhyming structure works, with a transliteration of one stanza from Phra Aphai Mani:
A selection of Sunthorn Phu’s poetry
The following is a selection of some of Sunthorn Phu’s most famous poems, drawn from both the epics that he wrote, along with his nirat (a genre of Thai travel poetry). I have included three versions of every poem: 1) the original poem in Thai, 2) a transliteration, and 3) a loose English translation; it may be more accurate to call them adaptations. To demonstrate to an English reader what Thai poetry would sound like in the original language, the English versions all follow the structure of khlon paed: 7-9 syllables in each line, and rhymes in the specified locations.
I have tried to be as faithful as I can to the content of the original Thai in my translations, but some alterations were needed at points to maintain the rhyming structure. Rhymes in the Thai transliterations are bolded. These are intended as approximations of how Thais would pronounce these words, and so they do not reflect the roots of these words as some favor when transliterating Thai.
1. Phra Aphai Mani — Sudsakorn
แล้วสอนว่าอย่าไว้ใจมนุษย์
มันแสนสุดลึกล้ำเหนือกำหนด
ถึงเถาวัลย์พันเกี่ยวที่เลี้ยวลด
ก็ไม่คดเหมือนหนึ่งในน้ำใจคน
มนุษย์นี้ที่รักอยู่สองสถาน
บิดามารดารักมักเป็นผล
ที่พึ่งหนึ่งพึ่งได้แต่กายตน
เกิดเป็นคนคิดเห็นจึ่งเจรจา
แม้นใครรักรักมั่งชังชังตอบ
ให้รอบคอบคิดอ่านนะหลานหนา
รู้สิ่งใดไม่สู้รู้วิชา
รู้รักษาตัวรอดเป็นยอดดี
Laew sorn wa ya wai jai manood
Mun san sood luek lam nuer kamnod
Tueng tao wan pan kiew tee liew lod
Gor mai kod muen nueng nai num jai khon
Manood nee tee ruk yu song satharn
Bida marnda rak muk pen pon
Tee pueng nueng peung dai tae kai ton
Kerd pen khon kid hen jueng jeraja
Maen krai ruk ruk mung chung chung torb
Hai rorb korb kid arn na larn na
Ru sing dai mai su ru vicha
Ru raksa tua rord pen yord dee
Do not trust others, he said:
be afraid of the human mind.
Even the most twisted of vines
seems benign compared to the soul.
Two people do have pure intent:
Your parents, who love with hearts whole.
But destiny’s yours to control
It’s your role to think on your own.
Beware of even the friendly
Cautiously think through all you’ve known.
Knowledge is not enough, alone:
The capstone is learning to survive.
This poem is from one of Sunthorn Phu’s most renowned works, the epic of Phra Aphai Mani. The particular chapter from which this poem is drawn follows the story of Sudsakorn, who had been fooled and his magical items were stolen. His mentor, a hermit, magically appears and rescues him, then teaches him not to easily trust others, comparing the human mind to entangled vines. The hermit concludes by saying that self-reliance and knowing how to survive is the best of all traits. This particular selection from Phra Aphai Mani is a beloved classic and one of the most well known poems in Thailand.
2. Phra Aphai Mani — Nang Laveng
ถึงม้วยดินสิ้นฟ้ามหาสมุทร
ไม่สิ้นสุดความรักสมัครสมาน
แม้เกิดในใต้หล้าสุธาธาร
ขอพบพานพิศวาสไม่คลาดคลา
แม้เนื้อเย็นเป็นห้วงมหรรณพ
พี่ขอพบศรีสวัสดิ์เป็นมัจฉา
แม้เป็นบัวตัวพี่เป็นภุมรา
เชยผกาโกสุมประทุมทอง
เจ้าเป็นถ้ำอำไพขอให้พี่
เป็นราชสีห์สมสู่เป็นคู่สอง
จะติดตามทรามสงวนนวลละออง
เป็นคู่ครองพิศวาสทุกชาติไป
Tueng muay din sin fah maha samut
Mai sin sood kwarm ruk samuk samarn
Mae kerd nai tai lah sutatarn
Kor pob parn pisawad mai klard kla
Mae nuer yen pen huang mahannop
Phee kor pob sri sawad pen majcha
Mae pen bua tua phee pen pumara
Cheoy paka ko sum pratum tong
Jao pen tham am pai kor hai phee
Pen ratchasee som soo pen khoo song
Ja tid tarm sam sanguan nuan laong
Pen koo krong pisawad took chart pai
Even if this world comes to an end
I’ll still spend eternity with you.
Even if you must be born anew
Then I, too, will be born and reunite.
If you become the vast blue sea
Then I’ll be a fish; it’s alright.
If you’re a lotus, a pretty sight
I’ll be in flight close by: a bee.
If you somehow become a cave
Then a brave lion by you, I’ll be.
From you, my love, I will never flee:
Your devotee in every life.
This is a translation of another famous poem from Phra Aphai Mani. Here, Phra Aphai Mani speaks of his love from Nang Laweng, the daughter of the Lord of Longa. Despite all the challenges he may face, Phra Aphai Mani declares, he will remain in love with her. Twice he says that even if they are born again — reflecting the traditional Buddhist belief in rebirth — he wishes to meet and fall in love with her in future lifetimes as well. This poem has been adapted, with some modifications, into the lyrics of a well known song, Kum Mun Sanya [Promises].
3. Nirat Pukhao Thong
ไม่เมาเหล้าแล้วแต่เรายังเมารัก
สุดจะหักห้ามจิตคิดไฉน
ถึงเมาเหล้าเช้าสายก็หายไป
แต่เมาใจนี้ประจำทุกค่ำคืน
Mai mao lao laew tae rao yung mao ruk
Sood ja huk harm jit kid chanai
Tueng mao lao chao sai gor hai pai
Tae mao jai nee prajam took khum kuen
To be drunk on love, not liquor
What will spur me to just move on?
Drink at night, and by dawn, it’s gone
Unwithdrawn: my yearning for you.
After the death of King Rama II, Sunthorn Phu fell from grace. On a trip to worship at the Golden Mountain temple in Ayutthaya, he wrote the Nirat Pukhaothong, bemoaning the various maladies of life as he travels by boat. This is one of the most famous portions of the entire poem. Passing by a tavern, he laments the temporary nature of drunkenness that arises from alcohol, compared against the unceasing intoxication that is caused by love.
4. Nirat Inhao
จะหักอื่นขืนหักก็จักได้
หักอาลัยนี้ไม่หลุดสุดจะหัก
สารพัดตัดขาดประหลาดนัก
แต่ตัดรักนี้ไม่ขาดประหลาดใจ
Ja hak eun kuen hak gor juk dai
Huk alai nee mai lood sood ja huk
Sarapad tad kard pralard nuk
Tae tad ruk nee mai kard pralard jai
Most things are easy to break
but to shake off heartbreak is tough.
It’s not hard to cut out life’s fluff
Yet to snuff out love? Impossible.
This poem comes from the Nirat Inhao, which Sunthorn Phu wrote during the reign of King Rama III. It is drawn from the Panji Tales, which follows the story of a Javanese prince. In this poem, Sunthorn Phu uses the concept of breaking and cutting to explore emotions of grief and heartbreak. It is a wonder that many things can be cut apart, he notes, but cutting off love is remarkably difficult.
5. Pleng Yao Thawai Owat
อันความคิดวิทยาเหมือนอาวุธ
ประเสริฐสุดซ่อนใส่เสียในฝัก
สงวนคมสมนึกใครฮึกฮัก
จึงค่อยชักเชือดฟันให้บรรลัย
Un kwarm kid wittaya muen awut
Prasert sood sorn sai sia nai phuk
Sanguan kom sum nuek krai huek huk
Jueng koi chuk chuerd fun hai bunlai
Knowledge and thoughts are like a sword
that’s best stored in a scabbard.
Keep its true sharpness under guard.
Slash them hard only when challenged.
While working as a teacher for two princes in the royal family, Sunthorn Phu wrote the Pleng Yao Thawai Owat for them, instructing the princes on various aspects of human life. In this stanza, he urges them to conceal their inner thoughts and true knowledge, for truly intelligent people would not brag about how much they know. They instead should reveal it only in times of emergency or when facing threats from others.
6. Supasit Sorn Ying (1)
มีสลึงพึงบรรจบให้ครบบาท
อย่าให้ขาดสิ่งของต้องประสงค์
มีน้อยใช้น้อยค่อยบรรจง
อย่าจ่ายลงให้มากจะยากนาน
Mee salueng peung banjob hai krob baht
Ya hai kard sing khong tong prasong
Mee noi chai noi koi banjong
Ya jai long hai mak ja yark narn
Have a penny? Make it a pound
and year-round you won’t lack things you need.
Spend less than you earn; don’t exceed
That will lead to times of hardship.
It’s actually unclear whether or not Sunthorn Phu is the author of the Supasit Sorn Ying, a series of lessons for women compiled for what was then a deeply patriarchal society. The author of this poem is known simply as Phu. Prince Damrong Rajanuparb, who excelled at historical scholarship, suggested that the author may be Sunthorn Phu, although later scholars have questioned whether or not this was truly the case. This particular poem teaches that people should be frugal, collecting salueng until they become a baht, and to live within their means.
7. Supasit Sorn Ying (2)
เป็นมนุษย์สุดนิยมเพียงลมปาก
จะได้ยากโหยหิวเพราะชิวหา
แม้นพูดดีมีคนเขาเมตตา
จะพูดจาพิเคราะห์ให้เหมาะความ
Pen manood sood niyom pieng lom park
Ja dai yark hoi hiw pror chiuha
Maen pood dee mee khon khao metta
Ja pood ja pikroh hai moh kwarm
Words can get someone’s praises sung
Just the tongue can cause their downfall.
Good words draw kindness from all
So forestall problems with cautious talk.
Also from the Supasit Sorn Ying, this poem emphasizes the importance of speaking cautiously and with thought. A man is worth only as much as his words, it warns, and many have suffered because of an errant tongue. It concludes by beseeching the reader to think about what is appropriate to say in each occasion.
I hope you had a chance to enjoy these selections of traditional Thai poetry, a body of literature that remains underexplored and underappreciated in English.
Thank you to Chitchaya Chimtanoo, Nawat Swatthong, and Rootjikarn Moonrinta for their feedback on the poetry translations.
