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decrease‘Khun Phaen Seduces Kaeo Kiriya’ is a scene from a long (30,000 lines) narrative poem called ‘Khun Chang, Khun Phaen’. This is one of half a dozen texts that any Thai with a claim to an education should have read, as it is central to Thai culture and identity. If the Ramakian epic is (roughly) equivalent to Shakespeare, then ‘Khun Chang, Khun Phaen’ is equivalent to Chaucer’s ‘Canturbury Tales’, Byron’s ‘Don Juan’ or Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’.
The first version of ‘Khun Chang, Khun Phaen’ was an orally-transmitted poem originating in about 1500. Later on, it was written down by court poets who felt it necessary to tone down the bawdy humour and sexual descriptions of the original. The best modern version restores some of the missing passages. A free online translation of this version with extensive background notes can be found at http://pioneer.netserv.chula.ac.th/~ppasuk/kckp/index.htm
Having read and enjoyed this version, I wanted to try to render it into English verse. The original is so long that it would have been impossible to retell it all - and equally impossible to read! I therefore chose three sections (all love scenes) and linked them with brief prose summaries. Unlike my poem, ‘Ramakian Revisited’, which is a creative response to the original, ‘Khun Phaen Seduces Kaeo Kiriya’ is an attempt at translation (aided by the online English prose version). It proved harder than I thought, with the result that only one of the scenes has, so far, been completed.
Only someone who is completely bilingual in Thai and English can judge how far my verse captures the ‘feel’ of the original. Unfortunately, my Thai is not yet good enough for that kind of judgement. However, a Thai friend of mine said that she thought the descriptions of Kaeo and the love scenes were the best bits - which is not surprising, because I lavished the most attention on them!
The verse form of the original is called in Thai, klon sepha. This form consists of long lines rhymed in couplets. Internal rhymes are also used. The closest English verse form I could find was the heptameter couplet as this also has long lines and internal rhyme. To imitate the visual appearance of Thai poetry, the lines should be laid out as follows:
She said, “Does a turtle resemble a myrtle, a firefly shine like the sun?
So how could I shine, a mere concubine - I think you are just making fun!
However, this arrangement makes some of the longer lines too long for the page (Thai script is more compact), causing part of the second half-line to wrap and spoil the visual appearance. I therefore set out the couplets in four-line stanzas. Stanza numbers were added to facilitate reference to these notes.
Apart from its literary value, ‘Khun Chang, Khun Phaen’ is important for the insights it gives into traditional Thai culture. A commentary on the cultural aspects of the whole poem would run to many pages (and require knowledge of the full story). This commentary is therefore confined to the extract posted last week.
Introduction
‘Tiring of his Thai and Lao concubines...’ The Thai Don Juan probably had far more sex than the Byron or Mozart equivalent (and certainly more than my hero, Jim, in ‘Bangkok Don Juan’) as he probably spent his whole life surrounded by concubines - quite apart from his extra-curricular sexual adventures.
Stanza I
‘He chanted a mantra to help him to enter’, and also,‘with the help of his guardian spirits’ in the introduction. The whole poem, as well as this extract, is filled with references to guardian spirits, magic, mantras and spells. In ancient times, it was the way Thai people saw the world, and there is no doubt that there is a strong echo of this in Thai society today. Interestingly, one of the commonest amulets worn by Thai people is the Khun Paen amulet - which is supposed to bring luck in sexual and other worldly matters.
Stanza IV
The original text also mentions a spittoon at the side of Kaeo’s bed, but try as I might, I couldn’t work this into my version without striking a false note. ‘Side pillows’ are mentioned several times in the poem. They appear to have been a kind of bolster on either side of the bed. They were probably very comfortable, and no doubt, you could cuddle them if you felt lonely - a great idea - let’s bring them back!
Stanza V
‘Betel set’ - a betel set is a group of containers used to place the ingredients for betel nut chewing, e.g., areca nut, lime and clove. All of the ingredients are kept wrapped in a betel leaf. Some of the sets were beautifully made, often in the shape of natural forms such as leaves or petals.
‘Mia noi’ - a minor wife. It is clear from this poem, and other sources, than the mia noi had a higher rank than a concubine (who was little more than a sexual slave), though of course, was subservient to the mia luang, or ‘official wife’. See also stanzas X - XII.
Stanza XI
‘Tamleung’, ‘chang’ - 1 tamleung = 4 baht of gold; 1 chang = 20 tamleung. The beauty of these traditional currencies is that, since they are measured in baht of gold, they can easily be converted into modern values. Thus Kaeo was sold to Khun Chang for approx 330,000 baht, and Khun Paen gives her approx 440,000 baht to more-than-cover her debt. Conclusion - it’s a lot cheaper to nip round to Nana Plaza than set up a harem. On the other hand, once you get to sin sot, you’re in the same ball park!
Stanzas XIV - XVI
Just because Kaeo is a concubine does not mean that she’s available to any man. She has been sold by her father to Khun Chang, and it is her duty to serve his sexual needs. However, she would dishonour herself if she had sex with any other man. The only way to do this honourably would be for Khun Paen to make an arrangement with her father. Although he is too worked up to bother with this, he does do the next best thing, which is to give her the money to buy her freedom. I wonder if there is an echo of this ancient morality in the way bargirls see themselves, thus allowing them to do what they do, and still keep a sense of honour.
Stanza XVIII
‘And her nom like lotuses’ (the Thai words in this stanza are glossed at the end of the poem). The lotus (bua) has long been considered the most beautiful flower in Thailand and has had an enormous influence on Thai art, design and architecture. It is also the most common image used to describe women’s breasts in Thai literature. This puzzled me at first, until I read that the comparison is with the lotus just before it bursts into flower, at which time it has a full, rounded shape coming to a point, like an erect nipple on a firm breast.
Stanza XX
‘Sabai’ - a long piece of silk that was worn above the waist, draped across the chest, and over the left shoulder. It could be worn with either one or both ends tucked into the waistband, or fastened by gold chains. The sabai was often scented with perfumes. The context suggests that Kaeo’s sabai was an informal garment which could be worn when sleeping.
Stanzas XX - XXI
It is very common in Thai literature to use descriptions of nature to mirror sexual encounters. In this case, the fragrance of the blossoms emphasises Kaeo’s sexual ecstasy. After that, the description symbolises how quickly that night of ecstasy passes. Earlier in the full version of the poem, when Khun Phaen first has sex with his wife, a description of a storm emphasises the wildness of their sexual encounter. However, my favourite description occurs later in the full version, when Phlai Ngam, Khun Paen’s son (following in his father’s footsteps) has sex with Nang Simala. The passage was deleted in the courtly version (probably because it is so graphic) and is restored in a footnote in the online version. Here is a short extract:
He was young and had just been taught to mount a horse. And the filly had never been ridden before... The rider was unskilled and kept falling. He hung onto the mane as the pace became wilder. They bucked against one another wildly for a time, then the horse quietened down and he thought its rhythm was spent. But her strength was undiminished...
Stanza XXIV
‘Karma’ - In Christian theology, if you commit a sin, God will punish you - either now, or in the hereafter. Buddhist philosophy replaces the concept of sin with karma. Put simply, the evil that you do will come back to you, in this life or the next. Later on in this scene, concern for his karma prevents Khun Paen from murdering Khun Chang. Karma is just as influential in Thai thinking and behaviour today.
If you found these notes interesting, you will enjoy reading the online translation which contains extensive cultural notes at the foot of each page. This can be found at
http://pioneer.netserv.chula.ac.th/~ppasuk/kckp/index.htm
© Bangkok Byron, 2007. All rights reserved by the author.
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January 22, 2007, 05:00
Thanks, Rob. Interesting stuff, fascinating. And thanks for the URLs as well. I'm always interested in reading Thai books, poems and articles that have been tranlated into English. Hard to find on the net really. At least when I was looking for this stuff a few years back. I haven't had the time lately to do some proper lengthy searches. Have you found much in English recently on the net?