This article originally appeared in the Thai Enquirer on June 26, 2023. After this piece I was published, I was taken aback by the attention it received, which I had not expected for what felt like a somewhat niche subject. The translations were seen over a million times on Twitter, and covered in the Thai press, from where they were widely re-shared on social media. I’m immensely grateful for the positive reception for this piece and glad that it helped play a role, however small, in popularizing classic Thai literature. The piece is republished in full here.

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 klon paed, the poetic form most favored by Sunthorn Phu, along with some of his most famous poems.

The klon paed: Thailand’s most popular form of poetry

There are several forms of poetry in Thailand, but one of the most common is the klon 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 klon 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 klon 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.

Phra Aphai Mani — Sudsakorn

แล้วสอนว่าอย่าไว้ใจมนุษย์                
มันแสนสุดลึกล้ำเหลือกำหนด
ถึงเถาวัลย์พันเกี่ยวที่เลี้ยวลด             
ก็ไม่คดเหมือนหนึ่งในน้ำใจคน
มนุษย์นี้ที่รักอยู่สองสถาน                   
บิดามารดารักมักเป็นผล
ที่พึ่งหนึ่งพึ่งได้แต่กายตน                   
เกิดเป็นคนคิดเห็นจึ่งเจรจา
แม้นใครรักรักมั่งชังชังตอบ               
ให้รอบคอบคิดอ่านนะหลานหนา
รู้สิ่งใดไม่สู้รู้วิชา                               
รู้รักษาตัวรอดเป็นยอดดี

Laew sorn wa ya wai jai manud                   
Mun san sud luek lam luer kamnod
Thueng thao wan phan kiew thee liew lod            
Kor mai khod muen nueng nai num jai khon
Manud nee thee rak yu song sathan            
Bida manda rak muk pen phon
Thee pueng nueng peung dai tae kai ton       
Kerd pen khon khid hen jueng jeraja
Maen krai rak rak mang chung chung torb  
Hai rorb khorb khid an na lan 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.

Phra Aphai Mani – Nang Laveng

ถึงม้วยดินสิ้นฟ้ามหาสมุทร                      
ไม่สิ้นสุดความรักสมัครสมาน 
แม้เกิดในใต้หล้าสุธาธาร                         
ขอพบพานพิศวาสไม่คลาดคลา
แม้เนื้อเย็นเป็นห้วงมหรรณพ                    
พี่ขอพบศรีสวัสดิ์เป็นมัจฉา
แม้เป็นบัวตัวพี่เป็นภุมรา                          
เชยผกาโกสุมประทุมทอง
เจ้าเป็นถ้ำอำไพขอให้พี่                          
เป็นราชสีห์สมสู่เป็นคู่สอง  
จะติดตามทรามสงวนนวลละออง            
เป็นคู่ครองพิศวาสทุกชาติไป

Thueng muay din sin fah maha samut
Mai sin sud khwarm ruk samuk saman
Mae kerd nai tai la suthathan               
Khor phob phan phisawad mai khlad khla
Mae nuer yen pen huang mahannop    
Phee khor phob sri sawad pen majcha
Mae pen bua tua phee pen phumara 
Cheoy phaka ko sum pratum thong
Jao pen tham am pai khor hai phee
Pen ratchasee som su pen khu song
Ja tid tarm sam sanguan nuan laong
Pen ku krong phisawad thuk 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, Khum Mun Sanya [Promises].

Nirat Pukhao Thong

ไม่เมาเหล้าแล้วแต่เรายังเมารัก
สุดจะหักห้ามจิตคิดไฉน
ถึงเมาเหล้าเช้าสายก็หายไป
แต่เมาใจนี้ประจำทุกค่ำคืน

Mai mao lao laew tae rao yung mao rak
Sood ja hak harm jid khid chanai
Tueng mao lao chao sai gor hai pai
Tae mao jai nee prajam took kham 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. 

Nirat Inhao

จะหักอื่นขืนหักก็จักได้
หักอาลัยนี้ไม่หลุดสุดจะหัก
สารพัดตัดขาดประหลาดนัก
แต่ตัดรักนี้ไม่ขาดประหลาดใจ

Ja hak eun khuen hak gor jak dai
Hak alai nee mai lud sud ja hak
Sarapad thad kad pralad nuk
Tae tad rak nee mai kad pralad 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.

Pleng Yao Thawai Owat

อันความคิดวิทยาเหมือนอาวุธ
ประเสริฐสุดซ่อนใส่เสียในฝัก
สงวนคมสมนึกใครฮึกฮัก
จึงค่อยชักเชือดฟันให้บรรลัย

Un khwarm khid wittaya muen awud
Prasert sud sorn sai sia nai phuk
Sanguan kom sum nuek khrai huek hak
Jueng koi chak chued 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.

Supasit Sorn Ying

มีสลึงพึงบรรจบให้ครบบาท
อย่าให้ขาดสิ่งของต้องประสงค์
มีน้อยใช้น้อยค่อยบรรจง
อย่าจ่ายลงให้มากจะยากนาน

Mee salueng pheung banjob hai khrob baht
Ya hai kad sing khong tong prasong
Mee noi chai noi khoi banjong
Ya jai long hai mak ja yak nan

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.

เป็นมนุษย์สุดนิยมเพียงลมปาก
จะได้ยากโหยหิวเพราะชิวหา
แม้นพูดดีมีคนเขาเมตตา
จะพูดจาพิเคราะห์ให้เหมาะความ

Pen manud sud niyom phieng lom pak
Ja dai yak hoi hiw pror chiuha
Maen pud dee mee khon khao metta
Ja pud ja pikhroh hai moh khwarm

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.

(See also: my translation of Phruedsophakason).