Poetry has been featured extensively in Thai literature, and constituted the near-exclusive majority of literary works up to the early Rattanakosin period (early 19th century). Most of imaginative literary works in Thai, before the 19th century, were composed in poetry. Consequently, although many literary works were lost with the sack of Ayutthaya in 1767, Thailand still has a great number of epic poems or long poetic tales [1] -- some with original stories and some with stories drawn from foreign sources. The Siamese poetical medium consists of five main forms, known as khlong, chan, kap, klon and rai; some of these developed indigenously while others were borrowed from other languages. Thai poetry dates to the Sukhothai period (13th–14th centuries) and flourished under Ayutthaya (14th–18th centuries), during which it developed into its current forms. Though many works were lost to the Burmese conquest of Ayutthaya in 1767, sponsorship by subsequent kings helped revive the art, with new works created by many great poets, including Sunthorn Phu (1786–1855). Prose writing as a literary form was introduced as a Western import during the reign of King Mongkut (1851–68) and gradually gained popularity, though poetry saw a revival during the reign of King Vajiravudh (1910–25), who authored and sponsored both traditional poetry and the newer literary forms. Poetry's popularity as a mainstream form of literature gradually declined afterwards, although it is still written and read, and is regularly employed ceremonially.
Thai poetic works follow established prosodic forms, known as chanthalak (Thai : ฉันทลักษณ์, pronounced [tɕʰǎntʰalák] ). Almost all have rules governing the exact metre and rhyme structure, i.e. the number of syllables in each line and which syllable rhymes with which. Certain forms also specify the tone or tone marks of syllables; others have requirements of syllable "heaviness". Alliteration and within-line rhyming are also often employed, but are not required by the rules.
The khlong (โคลง, [kʰlōːŋ] ) is the among oldest Thai poetic forms. This is reflected in its requirements on the tone markings of certain syllables, which must be marked with mai ek (ไม้เอก, [máj èːk] , ◌่) or mai tho (ไม้โท, [máj tʰōː] , ◌้). This was likely derived from when the Thai language had three tones (as opposed to today's five, a split which occurred during the Ayutthaya period), two of which corresponded directly to the aforementioned marks. It is usually regarded as an advanced and sophisticated poetic form. [2]
In khlong, a stanza (bot, บท, [bòt] ) has a number of lines (bat, บาท, [bàːt] , from Pali and Sanskrit pāda ), depending on the type. The bat are subdivided into two wak (วรรค, [wák] , from Sanskrit varga). [note 1] The first wak has five syllables, the second has a variable number, also depending on the type, and may be optional. The type of khlong is named by the number of bat in a stanza; it may also be divided into two main types: khlong suphap (โคลงสุภาพ, [kʰlōːŋ sù.pʰâːp] ) and khlong dan (โคลงดั้น, [kʰlōːŋ dân] ). The two differ in the number of syllables in the second wak of the final bat and inter-stanza rhyming rules. [2]
The khlong si suphap (โคลงสี่สุภาพ, [kʰlōːŋ sìː sù.pʰâːp] ) is the most common form still currently employed. It has four bat per stanza (si translates as four). The first wak of each bat has five syllables. The second wak has two or four syllables in the first and third bat, two syllables in the second, and four syllables in the fourth. Mai ek is required for seven syllables and Mai tho is required for four, as shown below. "Dead word" syllables are allowed in place of syllables which require mai ek, and changing the spelling of words to satisfy the criteria is usually acceptable.
The following plan shows the rhyming structure of one stanza. Each letter represents a syllable; A and B (also C, D, E and F in other examples) represent rhyming syllables. Syllables shown by letters in parentheses are optional.
OOOOO | OA (OO) | |
OOOOA | OB | |
OOOOA | OO (OO) | |
OOOOB | OOOO |
The following plan shows the tone mark requirements; each ◌ represents one syllable.
◌◌◌◌่◌้ | ◌◌ (◌◌) | |
◌◌่◌◌◌ | ◌่◌้ | |
◌◌◌่◌◌ | ◌◌่ (◌◌) | |
◌◌่◌◌◌้ | ◌่◌้◌◌ |
เสียงฦๅเสียงเล่าอ้าง อันใด พี่เอย เสียงย่อมยอยศใคร ทั่วหล้า สองเขือพี่หลับใหล ลืมตื่น ฤๅพี่ สองพี่คิดเองอ้า อย่าได้ถามเผือ — Unknown, Lilit Phra Lo (ลิลิตพระลอ), c 15th–16th centuries
Transcriptions:
siang lue siang lao ang | an dai phi oei | |
siang yom yo yot khrai | thua la | |
song khuea phi lap lai | luem tuen rue phi | |
song phi khit eng a | ya dai tham phuea |
sǐaŋ lɯ̄ː sǐaŋ lâw ʔâːŋ | ʔān dāj pʰîː ʔɤ̄ːj | |
sǐaŋ jɔ̂m jɔ̄ː jót kʰrāj | tʰûa lâː | |
sɔ̌ːŋ kʰɯ̌a pʰîː làp lǎj | lɯ̄ːm tɯ̀ːn rɯ̄ː pʰîː | |
sɔ̌ːŋ pʰîː kʰít ʔēːŋ ʔâː | jàː dâːj tʰǎːm pʰɯ̌a |
Translation:
What tales, what rumours, you ask?
Of whom is this praise being spread throughout the world?
Have you two been asleep, having forgotten to wake up?
You both can think of it yourselves; do not ask me.
The chan (ฉันท์, [tɕʰǎn] from Pali chando), is derived from Pali and Sanskrit metres, and based on the Vuttodaya, a Sri Lankan treatise on Pali prosody. It developed during the Ayutthaya period, and became a prominent poetic form, but declined afterwards until it resurfaced in a 1913 revival. [3]
The main feature of the chan is its requirements on the "heaviness" of each syllable. Syllables are classified as either "light" (lahu, ลหุ, [lahù] ), those with a short vowel and open ending, or "heavy" (kharu, ครุ, [kʰarú] ; See also Light and heavy syllables under Sanskrit prosody). The Thai metres follow their Pali/Sanskrit origins, with added rhyming schemes. Modern authors have also invented new forms for their compositions. Two traditional forms are shown here. [3]
The inthrawichian chan (อินทรวิเชียรฉันท์, [īn.tʰrá.wí.tɕʰīːan tɕʰǎn] , from Indravajra, a form of Sanskrit poetry and meaning Indra's thunderbolt) has two bat per stanza, with eleven syllables in each bat, following the pattern HHLHH LLHLHH (H represents heavy and L represents light syllables):
HHLHH | LLHLHH | |
HHLHH | LLHLHH |
The rhyming scheme (which is identical to that of kap yani, see below) is shown here in two stanzas:
OOOOA | OOAOOB | |
OOOOB | OOOOOC | |
OOOOD | OODOOC | |
OOOOC | OOOOOO |
สายัณห์ตะวันยาม ขณะข้ามทิฆัมพร เข้าภาคนภาตอน ทิศะตกก็รำไร รอนรอนและอ่อนแสง นภะแดงสิแปลงไป เป็นครามอร่ามใส สุภะสดพิสุทธิ์สี — Chit Burathat (1892–1942), Na Hat Sai Chai Thale Haeng Nueng (ณ หาดทรายชายทะเลแห่งหนึ่ง, "At a Seaside Beach")
Transcription:
sayan tawan yam | khana kham thikhamphon | |
khao phak napha ton | thisa tok ko ramrai | |
ron ron lae on saeng | napha daeng si plaeng pai | |
pen khram aram sai | supha sot phisut si |
sǎː.jān ta.wān jāːm | kʰa.nàʔ kʰâːm tʰí.kʰām.pʰɔ̄n | |
kʰâw pʰâːk ná.pʰāː tɔ̄ːn | tʰí.sàʔ tòk kɔ̂ rām.rāj | |
rɔ̄ːn rɔ̄ːn lɛ́ʔ ʔɔ̀ːn sɛ̌ːŋ | ná.pʰáʔ dɛ̄ːŋ sìʔ plɛ̄ːŋ pāj | |
pēn kʰrāːm ʔa.ràːm sǎj | sù.pʰáʔ sòt pʰí.sùt sǐː |
Translation:
The evening settles as the sun crosses the sky.
As it sets in the west, its light fades.
Its last rays flicker, and the sky turns from red
Into a clear glowing indigo, so bright and pure.
The wasantadilok chanวสันตดิลกฉันท์, [wá.sǎn.tà.dì.lòk tɕʰǎn] , from Sanskrit vasantatilaka) has fourteen syllables per bat, with the pattern HHLHLLLH LLHLHH:
HHLHLLLH | LLHLHH | |
HHLHLLLH | LLHLHH |
The following plan shows the rhyme structure in two stanzas.
OOOOOOOA | OOAOOB | |
OOOOOOOB | OOOOOC | |
OOOOOOOD | OODOOC | |
OOOOOOOC | OOOOOO |
ช่อฟ้าก็เฟื้อยกลจะฟัด ดลฟากทิฆัมพร บราลีพิไลพิศบวร นภศูลสล้างลอย — Phraya Sisunthonwohan (Phan Salak), Inlarat Kham Chan (อิลราชคำฉันท์), c 1913
Transcription:
chofa ko fueai kala cha fat | dala fak thikhamphon | |
brali philai phisa bawon | napha sun salang loi |
tɕʰɔ̂ː.fáː kɔ̂ fɯ́aj ka.lá tɕa fát | da.la fâːk tʰí.kʰām.pʰɔ̄ːn | |
brāː.līː pʰí.lāj pʰí.sa ba.wɔ̄ːn | ná.pʰá sǔːn sa.lâːŋ lɔ̄ːj |
Translation:
The chofa stretches out as if it would fight the very sky.
The roof crest-plates are such a grand beauty to look at; the spire of the stupa soars up high.
There are several forms of kap (กาพย์, [kàːp] ), each with its specific metre and rhyming rules. The kap may have originated either from the Indic metres or from Cambodian forms. [4]
The kap yani (กาพย์ยานี, [kàːp jāː.nīː] , or yani sip et, sip et meaning eleven, referring to the number of syllables per bat) has two bat per stanza. Each has two wak, with five and six syllables. It is slow in rhythm, and usually used to describe beauty and nature. The following plan shows the rhyming scheme in two stanzas; the spaces show the usual rhythmic breaks (not shown in writing). [4]
OO OOA | OOA OOB | |
OO OOB | OOO OOC | |
OO OOD | OOD OOC | |
OO OOC | OOO OOO |
เรือสิงห์วิ่งเผ่นโผน โจนตามคลื่นฝืนฝ่าฟอง ดูยิ่งสิงห์ลำพอง เป็นแถวท่องล่องตามกัน นาคาหน้าดั่งเป็น ดูเขม้นเห็นขบขัน มังกรถอนพายพัน ทันแข่งหน้าวาสุกรี — Chaofa Thammathibet (1705–46), Kap He Ruea (กาพย์เห่เรือ พระนิพนธ์เจ้าฟ้าธรรมธิเบศร, Kap for the Royal Barge Procession)
Transcription:
ruea sing wing phen phon | chon tam khluen fuen fa fong | |
du ying sing lamphong | pen thaeo thong long tam kan | |
nakha na dang pen | du khamen hen khopkhan | |
mangkon thon phai phan | than khaeng na wasukri |
rɯ̄a sǐŋ wîŋ pʰèn pʰǒːn | tɕōn tāːm kʰlɯ̂ːn fɯ̌ːn fàː fōːŋ | |
dūː yîŋ sǐŋ lām.pʰɔ̄ːŋ | pēn tʰɛ̌w tʰôŋ lôŋ tāːm kān | |
nāː.kʰāː nâː dàŋ pēn | dūː kʰa.mên hěn kʰòp.kʰǎn | |
māŋ.kɔ̄ːn thɔ̌ːn pʰāːj pʰān | tʰān kʰɛ̀ŋ nâː wāː.sù.krīː |
The kap chabang (กาพย์ฉบัง, [kàːp tɕʰa.bāŋ] , or chabang sip hok, sip hok meaning sixteen, the number of syllables per stanza) has three wak per stanza, with six syllables in the first and third, and four syllables in the second. It is often used for narratives, and often accompanies the chan. The following plan shows two stanzas. [4]
OOOOOA | OOOA | |
OOOOOB | ||
OOOOOB | OOOB | |
OOOOOO |
ธรรมะคือคุณากร ส่วนชอบสาธร ดุจดวงประทีปชัชวาล แห่งองค์พระศาสดาจารย์ ส่องสัตว์สันดาน สว่างกระจ่างใจมนท์ — Phraya Sisunthonwohan (Noi Acharayangkun) (1822–91), Veneration of the Dhamma (บทนมัสการพระธรรมคุณ)
Transcription:
thamma khue khunakon | suan chop sathon | |
dut duang prathip chatchawan | ||
haeng ong phra satsadachan | song sat sandan | |
sawang krachang chai mon |
tʰām.máʔ kʰɯ̄ː kʰú.nāː.kɔ̄ːn | sùan tɕʰɔ̂ːp sǎː.tʰɔ̄ːn | |
dùt dūaŋ pra.tʰîːp tɕʰát.tɕʰa.wāːn | ||
hɛ̀ŋ ʔōŋ pʰráʔ sàːt.sa.dāː.tɕāːn | sɔ̀ŋ sàt sǎndāːn | |
sawàːŋ kra.tɕàːŋ tɕāi mōn |
Translation:
The Dhamma is the foundation of good, that which itself is good.
Like a bright lantern,
Of the great prophet-teacher, shining into each being's character,
Bringing light to foolish hearts.
The kap surangkhanang yi sip paet (กาพย์สุรางคนางค์ 28, [kàːp sù.rāːŋ.kʰa.nāːŋ jîː sìp pɛ̀t] , yi sip paet means twenty-eight) has seven wak per stanza, with four syllables in each wak. A less common form is surangkhanang sam sip song (thirty-two), with eight wak per stanza. Its rhythm is fast, and is used to describe anger and fighting. The following plan shows two stanzas of surangkhanang 28. [4]
OOOA | OOOA | OOOB | ||||||||
OOOC | OCOB | OOOB | OOOD | |||||||
OOOE | OOOE | OOOD | ||||||||
OOOF | OFOD | OOOD | OOOO |
In the generic sense, klon (กลอน, [klɔ̄ːn] ) originally referred to any type of poetry. In the narrow sense it refers to a more recently developed form where a stanza has four wak, each with the same number of syllables. It is usually considered an original Thai form. [5] The klon metres are named by the number of syllables in a wak, e.g. klon hok (กลอนหก, [klɔ̄ːn hòk] ) has six syllables per wak (hok means six). All metres have the same rhyming scheme, and there are also requirements on the tone of the final syllable of each wak. The klon is also divided into several types according to their manner of composition, with klon suphap (กลอนสุภาพ, [klɔ̄ːn sù.pʰâːp] ) being the basic form.
The following plan shows the structure of klon suphap (two stanzas) in the most common eight-syllable variety, which was employed extensively by Sunthorn Phu, and is the most common form of the Rattanakosin period. The letters in parentheses represent alternative rhyming syllables. In practice, occasional wak with seven or nine syllables are also acceptable.
OOO OO OOA | OOA O(A) OOB | |
OOO OO OOB | OOB O(B) OOC | |
OOO OO OOD | OOD O(D) OOC | |
OOO OO OOC | OOC O(C) OOO |
ถึงโรงเหล้าเตากลั่นควันโขมง มีคันโพงผูกสายไว้ปลายเสา โอ้บาปกรรมน้ำนรกเจียวอกเรา ให้มัวเมาเหมือนหนึ่งบ้าเป็นน่าอาย ทำบุญบวชกรวดน้ำขอสำเร็จ พระสรรเพชญโพธิญาณประมาณหมาย ถึงสุราพารอดไม่วอดวาย ไม่ใกล้กรายแกล้งเมินก็เกินไป ไม่เมาเหล้าแล้วแต่เรายังเมารัก สุดจะหักห้ามจิตคิดไฉน ถึงเมาเหล้าเช้าสายก็หายไป แต่เมาใจนี้ประจำทุกค่ำคืน — Sunthorn Phu, Nirat Phukhao Thong (นิราศภูเขาทอง, c 1828)
Transcription:
thueng rong lao tao klan khwan khamong | mi khan phong phuk sai wai plai sao | |
o bap kam nam narok chiao ok rao | hai mua mao muean nueng ba pen na ai | |
tham bun buat kruat nam kho samret | phra sanphet phothiyan praman mai | |
thueng sura pha rot mai wotwai | mai klai krai klaeng moen ko koen pai | |
mai mao lao laeo tae rao yang mao rak | sut cha hak ham chit khit chanai | |
thueng mao lao chao sai ko hai pai | tae mao chai ni pracham thuk kham khuen |
tʰɯ̌ŋ rōːŋ lâw tāw klàn kʰwān kʰamǒːŋ | mīː kʰān pʰoːŋ pʰùːk saːj wáj plāːj sǎw | |
ʔôː bàːp kām náːm na.rók tɕīaw ʔòk rāw | hâj mūa māw mɯ̌an nɯ̀ŋ bâː pēn nâː ʔāːj | |
tʰām būn bùat krùat náːm kʰɔ̌ː sǎm.rèt | pʰrá sǎn.pʰét pʰōː.tʰí.jāːn pra.māːn mǎːj | |
tʰɯ̌ŋ sù.rāː pʰāː rɔ̂ːt mâj wɔ̂ːtwāːj | mâj klâj krāːj klɛ̂ːŋ mɤ̄ːn kɔ̂ kɤ̄ːn pāj | |
mâj māw lâw lɛ́ːw tɛ́ː rāw jāŋ māw rák | sùt tɕa hàk hâːm tɕìt kʰít tɕʰa.nǎj | |
tʰɯ̌ŋ māw lâw tɕʰáw sǎːj kɔ̂ hǎːj pāːj | tɛ̀ː māw tɕāj níː pra.tɕām tʰúk kʰâm kʰɯ̄ːn |
The rai (ร่าย, [râːj] ) is probably the oldest Thai poetic form and was used in laws and chronicles. It is also the simplest. It consists of a continuing series of wak of unspecified number, usually with five syllables each, and with rhymes from the last syllable of a wak to the first, second or third of the next. Some variations don't specify the number of syllables per wak and are actually a form of rhymed prose. A composition consisting of rai alternating with (and ending with) khlong is known as lilit (ลิลิต, [lí.lít] ), and suggests that the khlong developed from the rai. The following is the form of rai known as rai boran (ร่ายโบราณ, [râːj bōː.rāːn] ). [6]
สรวมสวัสดิวิชัย เกริกกรุงไกรเกรียงยศ เกียรติปรากฏขจรขจาย สบายทั่วแหล่งหล้า ฝนฟ้าฉ่ำชุ่มชล ไพศรพณ์ผลพูนเพิ่ม เหิมใจราษฎร์บำเทิง...ประเทศสยามชื่นช้อย ทุกข์ขุกเข็ญใหญ่น้อย นาศไร้แรงเกษม โสตเทอญ
— King Chulalongkorn, the Nitra Chakrit (ลิลิตนิทราชาคริต, 1879)
When read aloud, Thai poetry may be read conventionally, or in a melodic fashion known as thamnong sano (ทำนองเสนาะ, [tʰām.nōːŋ sanɔ̀ʔ] , lit. pleasing melody). Thamnong sano has many melodic styles, and there are also other specific styles used for certain performances, such as sepha. Thamnong sano reading is often featured in student competitions, along with other forms of language-related performances.
In poetry, metre or meter is the basic rhythmic structure of a verse or lines in verse. Many traditional verse forms prescribe a specific verse metre, or a certain set of metres alternating in a particular order. The study and the actual use of metres and forms of versification are both known as prosody.
Poetry, also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, a prosaic ostensible meaning. A poem is a literary composition, written by a poet, using this principle.
Thai, or Central Thai, is a Tai language of the Kra–Dai language family spoken by the Central Thai people and a vast majority of Thai Chinese. It is the sole official language of Thailand.
The Thai script is the abugida used to write Thai, Southern Thai and many other languages spoken in Thailand. The Thai alphabet itself has 44 consonant symbols, 16 vowel symbols that combine into at least 32 vowel forms and four tone diacritics to create characters mostly representing syllables.
Shloka or śloka is a poetic form used in Sanskrit, the classical language of India. In its usual form it consists of four pādas or quarter-verses, of 8 syllables each, or of two half-verses of 16 syllables each. The metre is similar to the Vedic anuṣṭubh metre, but with stricter rules.
Thai literature is the literature of the Thai people, almost exclusively written in the Thai language. Most of imaginative literary works in Thai, before the 19th century, were composed in poetry. Prose was reserved for historical records, chronicles, and legal documents. Consequently, the poetical forms in the Thai language are both numerous and highly developed. The corpus of Thailand's pre-modern poetic works is large. Thus, although many literary works were lost with the sack of Ayutthaya in 1767, Thailand still possesses a large number of epic poems or long poetic tales —some with original stories and some with stories drawn from foreign sources. There is thus a sharp contrast between the Thai literary tradition and that of other East Asian literary traditions, such as Chinese and Japanese, where long poetic tales are rare and epic poems are almost non-existent. The Thai classical literature exerted a considerable influence on the literature of neighboring countries in mainland Southeast Asia, especially Cambodia, Laos, and Burma.
Tai Lue or Tai Lɯ, Tai Lü, Thai Lue, Tai Le, Xishuangbanna Dai, is a Tai language of the Lu people, spoken by about 700,000 people in Southeast Asia. This includes 280,000 people in China (Yunnan), 200,000 in Burma, 134,000 in Laos, 83,000 in Thailand and 4,960 in Vietnam. The language is similar to other Tai languages and is closely related to Kham Mueang or Tai Yuan, which is also known as Northern Thai language. In Yunnan, it is spoken in all of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, as well as Jiangcheng Hani and Yi Autonomous County in Pu'er City.
The klon, also spelled glawn or gaun, is a Thai/Lao term referring to either poetic verse in general, or a specific prosodic form in Thai and Lao poetry.
The song thất lục bát is a Vietnamese poetic form, which consists of a quatrain comprising a couplet of two seven-syllable lines followed by a Lục bát couplet. Each line requires certain syllables to exhibit a "flat" or "sharp" pitch. Lines and stanzas are linked in a complex rhyme scheme.
This is a glossary of poetry.
"A Prayer for my Daughter" is a poem by William Butler Yeats written in 1919 and published in 1921 as part of Yeats' collection Michael Robartes and the Dancer. It is written to Anne, his daughter with Georgie Hyde Lees, whom Yeats married after his last marriage proposal to Maud Gonne was rejected in 1916. Yeats wrote the poem while staying in a tower at Thoor Ballylee during the Anglo-Irish War, two days after Anne's birth on 26 February 1919. The poem reflects Yeats's complicated views on Irish Nationalism, sexuality, and is considered an important work of Modernist poetry.
The Tai Tham script is an artificial ethnonym given to an abugida writing system used mainly for a group of Southwestern Tai languages i.e., Northern Thai, Tai Lü, Khün and Lao; as well as the liturgical languages of Buddhism i.e., Pali and Sanskrit. It is historically known as Tua Tham. In Thailand and Myanmar, the script is often referred to as Lanna script in relation to the historical kingdom of Lan Na situating in the Northern region of modern day Thailand and a part of Shan state in Myanmar. Local people in Northern Thailand also call the script as Tua Mueang in parallel to Kam Mueang, a local name for Northern Thai language. In Laos and Isan region of Thailand, a variation of Tai Tham script, often dubbed Lao Tham, is also known by the locals as To Tham Lao or Yuan script. Tai Tham script is traditionally written on a dried palm leaf as a palm-leaf manuscript.
Fixed verse forms are a kind of template or formula that poetry can be composed in. The opposite of fixed verse is free verse poetry, which by design has little or no pre-established guidelines.
The term ashtakam, also often written astakam, is derived from the Sanskrit word aṣṭā, meaning "eight". In context of poetic compositions, 'ashtakam' refers to a particular form of poetry, written in eight stanzas.
Sanskrit prosody or Chandas refers to one of the six Vedangas, or limbs of Vedic studies. It is the study of poetic metres and verse in Sanskrit. This field of study was central to the composition of the Vedas, the scriptural canons of Hinduism, so central that some later Hindu and Buddhist texts refer to the Vedas as Chandas.
Vietnamese poetry originated in the form of folk poetry and proverbs. Vietnamese poetic structures include six-eight, double-seven six-eight, and various styles shared with Classical Chinese poetry forms, such as are found in Tang poetry; examples include verse forms with "seven syllables each line for eight lines," "seven syllables each line for four lines", and "five syllables each line for eight lines." More recently there have been new poetry and free poetry.
Yuan Phai, "Defeat of the Yuan," is a historical epic poem in the Thai language about rivalry between Ayutthaya and Lanna culminating in a battle that took place in 1474/5 AD at the place then called Chiang Cheun at Si Satchanalai. The Yuan are the people of Lanna or Yonok, then an independent kingdom in the upper reaches of the Chao Phraya River basin with a capital at Chiang Mai. The poem was written to celebrate King Boromma Trailokanat of Ayutthaya, the victor. The poem was probably written soon after the battle. It counts among only a handful of works of Thai literature from the Early Ayutthaya era that have survived, and may be still in its original form, without later revisions. The main body of the poem consists of 1,180 lines in a variant of the khlong meter. The poem is considered important as a source of historical information, as an example of poetic form and style, and as a repository of early Ayutthayan Thai language. A definitive edition was published by the Royal Institute of Thailand in 2001.
Si Prat is a legendary Thai poet believed to have served King Narai during the 17th century. According to traditional tellings, he was subsequently banished to South Thailand as a result of his personal indiscretions and executed after having an affair with the wife of a provincial governor.
Kamsuan Samut or Kamsuan Siprat is a nirat traditionally attributed to legendary 17th century Thai poet Si Prat and generally regarded as a seminal work from the Ayutthaya era. The poem tells of a distraught lover who describes his journey into exile to Southern Thailand while lamenting the loss of his love.
Lilit Phra Lo is a narrative poem of around 3,870 lines in Thai. Lilit is a poetic form; Phra is a prefix used for royalty and monks; Lo is the personal name of the hero, sometimes transcribed as Lor or Law. Date and authorship are unknown but the work was probably composed in the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century CE and counts among the five earliest works of Thai literature. The plot is a courtly romance that ends with a tragic massacre and political reconciliation. The work has been criticized for portraying feudal indulgence. The story has been repeatedly reworked by prominent novelists and film-makers, often adapting the plot to conform to modern values.