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Thai Literature

The most important Thai literary work is the Ramakien. This uniquely Thai version of the Hindu epic, The Ramayana, was also a source of inspiration for classical dramatists and painters.

An allegory of good's triumph over evil, the Ramakien chronicles the war between the 10-headed, 20-armed demon King Tosakanth of Longka (Sri Lanka) and Ayodhya's righteous monarch Rama (Vish-nu's reincarnation) and his brother Laksh-man. The Ramakien vividly details Rama and Lakshman's pursuit of Tosakanth after he abducts Rama's consort, Sita, and carries her to his island kingdom in hopes of marrying her. Helped by several allies, including the white monkey-general Hanuman, the brothers engage in several epic battles and suffer harrowing misfortunes before routing Tosakanth's demon army and rescuing Sita.

Early Thai versions of the Ramakien were lost with the destruction of Ayutthaya. The longest of the three present versions was written in 1798 by the first Chakri king, Rama I, and his intimates who incorporated Thai and Buddhist ceremonial elements into it to preserve oral knowledge of Ayutthayan state rites and traditions. Indeed, Rama I's Ramakien is the major historical source of medieval Thai courtly traditions.

Rama II composed a shorter version of the Ramakien for classical drama purposes and penned several other epic poems, including the Inao, a romance with a Javanese background. Inao is a treasure trove of historical information on early nineteenth-Century Thai customs, habits and manners and figures prominently in classical drama's repertoire.

Besides writing his own work, Rama II collaborated with court poets, one of whom, Sunthom Phu (1787-1855), a poetic genius and well-loved commoner, became a major Thai literary figure. Sunthom Phu's enduring achievement (apart from his legendary personal adventures) was to write superbly well in the common language about common feelings and the common folk. Easily understood by all classes, his works became the first Thai literature to have national as well as court appeal. His two major works were Phra Abhai Mani, a widely read roman-tic adventure and Swasdi Raksa (Safeguard-ing One's Welfare), written as instruction for two princes. and today still much quoted by Thais from all walks of life.

Khun Chang, Khun Phaen is a very popular work set in the Ayutthaya period, A triangular love story of a beautiful woman with two lovers, one a bald-headed rich widower (Khun Chang) the other a carefree, handsome but poor gallant (Khun Phaen), the work is at times hilarious, sad, romantic and melodramatic. Composed in a style ideal for recitation, and constantly embellished by different authors (Rama If and Sunthom Phu for two), the story; an absolute mine of information on Thai customs, habits, manners and morals, is the traditional Thai equivalent of a Western soap opera.

Popular literature, in the days before general education, was transmitted by village storytellers. Legends, anecdotes and adventure stories of the Khun Chang, Khun Phaen variety were, and still are, told by skilled raconteurs who held audiences of all ages and classes spellbound by adding to and improving the story with each telling. Anecdotes generally portrayed a world where individuals habitually tricked each other. There was no sympathy for the duped; if he suffered, it was to his own dismay and others' amusement.

Popular folk tales provided psycholo-gical release for villagers who took vicarious pleasure in the ways popular heroes like peasant-born Srithanonchai challenged and bested officialdom with wit, guile and bluff. Humour tended to be earthy and extremely bawdy, but never sordid.

Storytelling was also an important socialization process. Anecdotes and para-bles were employed as teaching tools to strengthen cultural identity and were passed from generation to generation. This form of oral tradition perpetuated the cultural values vital for promoting social cohesion.

It is small wonder that from such a Rich Wealth of material, pithy, incisive proverbs should emerge. Losing much in translation (originals are generally four, six or eight syllables) the best nevertheless exhibit, a finely-tuned cynicism : Even four-legged animals can topple. So can philosophers. Or : When judging an elephant, examine its tail. When judging a (prospective) bride, examine her mother.

And, in a similar vein, one of the most widely quoted aphorisms likens the wife to the hind legs of an elephant (the man-led marriage). The simile is apt though, today, some would say the elephant walks back-
wards.

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