In an effort to retain as much of the subtlety of Thai thought as is possible in English, I have translated the first act, "The Birth of Prince Sang," line by line, with explanatory notes. Although these notes are at the back of the text, they are (unlike citations) an integral part of my effort in this translation to understand the Thai mind. Reflections of the Indian tradition in the characters and imagery of Sang Thong also appear in these notes. The remaining eight acts I have summarized with notes, again trying to preserve non-Western images and expressions reflecting values which historically or currently have been part of Thai life.
Illustrations for "The Birth of Prince Sang" were done by Bunson Sukhphun, who has lived all his life in the Thai rice village where our family lived for a year. He feels his court scenes lay no claim to period authenticity, but show what is in the minds of many country and city Thais when they recall the Sang Thong story. The country scenes illustrate in accurate detail the way of life during his boyhood some twenty years ago, which in many respects resembles rural life as it existed in the period of Rama II and as it continues even today.
ON TRANSLITERATION
Writing Thai words in Western script has, through the years, followed a variety of systems, no one of which is right for all purposes. I have basically followed the system recommended by the Library of Congress, which is not greatly different from that devised by the Royal Institute of Thailand. Stated briefly,
The vowels a, e, i, o, u are pronounced as in Italian.
th (as in Thai) sounds like t as in "top"
ph (as in Phanthurat) sounds like p as in "pin"
kh (as in lakhon) sounds like
k as in "king"
k (as in klon) sounds like g as in "go"
In the words Sang Thong, lakhon nok, and klon, the o has the sound of aw as in "dawn."
For students of linguistics or of the Thai language the system may be summarized in somewhat more detail:
| Voiced stops (initial position only) | b, d |
| Voiceless, unaspirated stops | p, t, ch, k |
| Voiceless, aspirated stops | ph, th, ch, kh |
| Voiceless spirants | f, s, h |
| Voiced nasals | m, n, ng |
| Front unrounded vowels | i, e, ae |
| Central unrounded vowels | ue, oe, a |
| Back rounded vowels | u, o, aw |
| Voiced semivowels—initial position | y, w |
| Voiced semivowels—final position | i, o (after a, ae) |
| w (after i) |
Except in the cases of Sang Thong, lakhon nok, and klon, mentioned above, which have previously appeared in English-language publications about Thai theater, I have used aw as in "dawn" to represent the third back-rounded vowel. I have also substituted likay, a form which appears in earlier English-language publications, for like.
I have used the conventional spelling for proper names.
For Pali words, I have used a generally accepted system of transliteration.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank Dean Rong Sayamanonda and M. L. Chirayu Navawongs, who made possible my studies of Thai literature at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. M. L. Chirayu directed me to Professor Vacharee Ramyanandand, who suggested Sang Thong as an expression of Thai views and values and then spent many hours helping me to understand it. Mrs. Buaphan Potaya and Mrs. Pratoom Ganjing also helped me with translation and explanations of ideas behind the words. Mrs. Maenmas Chavalit, head librarian of the National Library of Thailand, critically checked the translation of Act One and its explanatory notes, offering many perceptive interpretations.
For a varied insight into Thai culture, I am indebted to the late Phya Amman Rajadhon, who was my teacher for intermittent periods during the last fifteen years. Professor Visudh Busyakul made many of the Pali and Sanskrit sources of Thai literature meaningful to me. Later, at Catholic University, Dr. Siegfried A. Schulz offered suggestions helpful in further understanding Indian contributions to Sang Thong, and Dr. John Brown critically read the manuscript from the perspective of comparative literature.
Dr. Samrit Khunmuang brought me much of the information I have on Sang Thong in Laos, after appointments with knowledgeable Laotians were arranged by Mr. Louis Connick, representative of the Asia Foundation.
I would like to express my appreciation to Mr. Dhanit Yupho, retired director-general of the Fine Arts Department of Thailand, and to Mr. Montri Tramod, Miss Charuay Raksabhongsa, and Mrs. La-iad Herabataya of the School of Fine Arts for their explanations of the staging of Thai lakhon nok, and to Professor Khomkhai Nilprapassorn of Chulalongkorn University for her background information on the development of varied forms of Thai drama.
When the web of Thai culture has seemed particularly intricate, I have felt special gratitude toward Mrs. Somai Siphadung and numerous other Thais who kept Sang Thong, as it is loved by people in the Thai countryside, a real part of life for me. At these times my husband, Jasper Ingersoll, with whom I have long shared an interest in Thai views of the world, was constantly helpful with suggestions and critical comments.
I would also like to thank the publishers for permission to quote a passage from page 22 of Myth and Reality, by Mircea Eliade, translated by Willard R. Trask (New York: Harper and Row, 1963).
Finally, the encouragement of Mrs. Bonnie Crown of the Asia Society's Asian Literature Program has made possible this effort to understand something of Thai cultural character as it is expressed in this one delightful segment of its literary heritage.
Introduction
Although numerous versions of Sang Thong exist, students read and actors (to varying degrees) follow the dance-drama form written by King Rama II and the poets of his court during the first quarter of the 19th century. Yet the centuries-old plot is well known to many people in Thailand, in the villages and in the countryside, who have not read Sang Thong in this or any other version.
HISTORY: