''Eulogy of King Narai'' is a poem in
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
, composed during the reign of King Narai (1656–1688). It is a major example of the Thai genre of royal panegyrics. The identity of the author is uncertain. The poem relates the key events of the reign, the king’s power, his palace at
Lopburi
Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...
, the beauties of the forest, and an elephant hunt.
Dating and authorship
''Eulogy of King Narai'' ( th, โคลงเฉลิมพระเกียรติสมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช), ''Khlong chaloem phrakiat somdet phra narai maharat'', is a poem in
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
. The poem was probably composed in the early 1680s as no event after 1680 is mentioned in the text. As with most old Thai literature, the author is not identified. Some authorities attribute authorship to Luang Si Mahosot, while others including Winai Pongsripian favour Phra Maharatchakhru, a head of the Brahman department, and author of several other poetic works.
Significance
The royal
panegyric
A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens.
Etymology
The word originated as a compound of grc, ...
is a prominent genre in Thai poetry, possibly influenced by the
Praśasti
''Prashasti'' (IAST: Praśasti, Sanskrit for "praise") is an Indian genre of inscriptions composed by poets in praise of their rulers. Most date from the 6th century CE onwards. Written in the form of poetry or ornate prose, the ''prashastis'' s ...
genre in
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
. Praise of the king is a large element in
Yuan Phai, a 15th-century war poem. The first work framed and titled specifically as a royal panegyric was the ''
Eulogy of King Prasat Thong'' about King
Narai
King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Pr ...
’s father and predecessor.
King
Narai
King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Pr ...
(1656–1688) is best known for his involvement with the British and French in the later part of his reign. This poem dates before the climax of that involvement. It portrays
Narai
King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Pr ...
as the ruler of a powerful and flourishing
Ayutthaya Kingdom
The Ayutthaya Kingdom (; th, อยุธยา, , IAST: or , ) was a Siamese kingdom that existed in Southeast Asia from 1351 to 1767, centered around the city of Ayutthaya, in Siam, or present-day Thailand. The Ayutthaya Kingdom is conside ...
. It describes his power stretching in all four directions, the grandeur of his palace at
Lopburi
Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...
, the beauty of the forest, and the excitement of an elephant hunt.
Publication and translation
The poem was first printed in 1925 on the instigation of Princess
Nabhabhorn Prabha
( th, พระเจ้าบรมวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้านภาพรประภา กรมหลวงทิพยรัตนกิริฎกุลินี), a daughter of King
Mongkut
Mongkut ( th, มงกุฏ; 18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, titled Rama IV. He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was ''Phra Bat Somdet Phra Menthora Ramathibod ...
.
An English translation by the Thai historian, Dhiravat na Pombejra, was published in 2015.
Form
The poem has 78 four-line verses composed in ''khlong si suphap'' ( th, โคลงสี่สุภาพ), the refined version of the
''khlong'' form.
]
Synopsis
1: Invocation of the Hindu gods,
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
,
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
,
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
.
2–15: Important events: receipt of a white elephant; military campaign to Chiang Mai and acquisition of the
Phra Phuttha Sihing
The Phra Phuttha Sihing ( th, พระพุทธสิหิงค์) is a highly revered image of the Gautama Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand, second in importance only after the Emerald Buddha. The image is currently housed at the Phutthaisawan ...
image; homage from
Ava,
Champa
Champa (Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd cen ...
,
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
, and
Kedah
Kedah (), also known by its honorific Darul Aman (Islam), Aman and historically as Queda, is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia, located in the northwestern part of Peninsular Malaysia. The state covers a total area ...
; suppression of rebellion in
Songkhla
Songkhla ( th, สงขลา, ), also known as Singgora or Singora (Pattani Malay: ซิงกอรอ), is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in Songkhla Province of southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia. Songkhla lies south of Ba ...
.
16–25: Description of the royal palace in
Lopburi
Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...
including the Dusit Prasat Hall, Chanthraphisan Hall, gardens, and the piped water system.
26: Happiness of the kingdom
๏สมบูรณ์พูลเกษตรล้วน เกษมสุข
สมเสพย์สโมสรสนุก เรื่อยหล้า
สำเภาเพียบบรรทุก ทรัพย์มาก มานา
สมบัติพัสถานกล้า กลาดด้วยสมภาร ฯ
: The fields are more bountiful, bringing contentment to all
: who live together happily throughout the whole kingdom.
: Junks come filled with various precious goods,
: people's property and possessions are secure and all prosper through His Majesty's accumulated merit. (v. 26)
27–41: Lyrical description of the king visiting the forest, describing trees, flowers, aquatic life, birds, and animals; allusion to the Than Kasem and Satchaphan Hill, visited on pilgrimages to the
Buddha footprint
Buddha's footprints ( sa, Buddhapada) are Buddhist icons shaped like an imprint of Gautama Buddha's foot or both feet. There are two forms: natural, as found in stone or rock, and those made artificially. Many of the "natural" ones are acknowled ...
at
Phra Phutthabat
42–64: Elephant hunt: initial ceremonies; the king releases a captured cow elephant; corralling a large herd; description of the king’s mount; selection of the best captured elephants; the king rewards the hunters and officials with money and garments; return to the city.
๏เสนาเนืองไพร่พร้อม อึดอึง
ส้าวแซ่เสียงบืนผึง ป่าก้อง
แจจรรโจษพลหึง แหนรอบ
ตีจรขาบขับร้อง โห่เร้ารุกราญ ฯ
: The commanders and their retainers together make a resounding noise.
: The sound of gunfire intermittently echoes in the forest.
: The shouts and commands of the men surrounding the elephants are confusingly deafening,
: while the sound of beating clappers accompanies the men's morale-boosting cries upon approaching the herd. (v.53)
65–78: Invocations, asking for blessings from the major and minor Hindu gods and goddesses.
Appraisal
The two earlier Thai eulogies, ''
Yuan Phai'' and the ''
Eulogy of King Prasat Thong'' are largely historical accounts of the reign. The ''Eulogy of King Narai'' is more thematic in style. It includes a lyrical celebration of the beauty of the forest, a common topic for Thai poets but something not found in the earlier eulogies. It celebrates the piped water system in the
Lopburi
Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...
palace, a touch of innovation. The longest section is an account of an elephant hunt. King
Narai
King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Pr ...
is believed to have spent much of the year at
Lopburi
Lopburi ( th, ลพบุรี, , ) is the capital city of Lopburi Province in Thailand. It is about northeast of Bangkok. It has a population of 58,000. The town (''thesaban mueang'') covers the whole ''tambon'' Tha Hin and parts of Th ...
because he could hunt elephants and tigers nearby. He built an elephant enclosure and a hunting lodge at Thale Chupson on the outskirts of the city. A poem of lullabies for elephants is believed to have been composed during his reign.
The conventional invocations at the start and end of the poem mention several Hindu gods, but make no reference to
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
. Scholars have wondered whether this reflected the king’s conflict with the monkhood.
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{refend
Thai poems