By Itsarin Tisantia
Photos courtesy of Bangkok Post
June 26 is Sunthorn Phu Day, a special occasion for Thais and Thai language learners to celebrate the birthday of legendary poet Phra Sunthorn Voharn, widely known as Sunthorn Phu.
For this week’s Exercises, SW takes a look at the life of Sunthorn Phu.
Sunthorn Phu was born on June 26, 1786 during the reign of King Rama I. His residence was situated near the Grand Palace. Several years after his birth, his parents were divorced. His father was later ordained at Bangrum Temple, while his mother was a wet nurse for the royal family.
FORBIDDEN ROMANCE
Sunthorn Phu later had a chance to work as a clerk in the palace with his mother, where he fell in love and had an affair with a lady named Jun.
The couple were arrested and punished because Jun was related to the royal family and their relationship was against the traditional rules of the palace. However, they were soon pardoned. Sunthorn Phu eventually had three children with his three wives, Jun, Nim and Nil.
KING’S ASSISTANT
Sunthorn Phu assisted King Rama II in writing the epic, Ramayana, and was officially appointed as a royal poet. Sunthorn Phu provided poetic assistance to both King Rama II and King Rama III.
The poet was later appointed as Phra Sunthorn Voharn by King Rama IV. He served the king for about four years and later died at the age of 70 in 1855.
WORLD-CLASS MASTERPIECES
Sunthorn Phu wrote countless works of verses and prose. Two of his best-known sagas are Phra Abhai Mani and Singha Kraipob, while some of his most famous poems include Nirat Muang Klaeng, Nirat Phukhaothong and Nirat I-Nao.
Considering his valuable contributions to education, language and literature, Sunthorn Phu was declared a World Poet by UNESCO in 1986.
Exercises
Read the story. Then, fill in the blanks in the following sentences.
1. Sunthorn Phu was declared a World Poet by ________________.
2. Sunthorn Phu had ______ children.
3. Sunthorn Phu’s father was ordained at ______________.
4. Sunthorn Phu died when he was _____ years old.
Vocabulary
- wet nurse (n): a woman employed to feed another woman’s baby with her own breast milk
pardon (v): to officially allow somebody who has been found guilty of a crime to leave prison or avoid punishment
epic (n): a long poem about the actions of great men and women or about a particular period of history
prose (n): writing that is not poetry
