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SEVEN POEMS
Translations from the THAI
Contest:
Lady Sri Chulalak and the Poet
(Sri Prat)
From
Lines Written Near the Statue
of the Buddha of Prathom
(Sunthorn Poo)
From
The Epic Of
Excellency Lor
(Anon)
Little
Star
(Sujit Wongtes)
Lost
Bananas
(Wat Wanlayangkoon)
Pat
(Surasak Sriprapan)
Poor
Prince Lun-Dai
(Phra Maha Montree Sub)
From
THE EPIC OF EXCELLENCY LOR
Anonymous
(between 1445 and 1546)
‘A
happily married prince is bewitched and falls in love with the two
daughters of a neighbouring ruler with whom he is at war. The death of
the lovers leads to the reconciliation of the states.’ —Keith
Bosley
See
three make love who high have reigned:
arms
that hold flesh, the body strained
to
press close and admire,
desire,
enjoy, raise lips to feed
on
crowded tastes of heavenly mead—
thus
one pair squeeze and clutch.
...
Anon. (translated
by Alan Marshfield)
(back)
(For full translation
see the Kindle ebook The Translations of Alan Marshfield)
CONTEST:
LADY SRI CHULALAK AND THE POET
Sri
Prat (1655 - 1688)
Concubine:
Poor
hare jumps at moon? Dotes so!
Does
not see how low his place.
Like
peacocks who’d know the clouds
Does
not see one ace his place,
the
rogue.
...
Sri Pat (translated
by Alan Marshfield)
(back)
(For full translation
see the Kindle ebook The Translations of Alan Marshfield)
From
LINES WRITTEN NEAR THE STATUE
OF THE BUDDHA OF PRATHOM
Sunthorn
Poo (1786 - 1855)
Be
thou a tree, then let me on thee settle;
Let
me brood on a branch, bide in the thick.
Be
thou a lunar beauty, Passion Petal,
I
beg I, as the hero, fly to pick.
...
Sunthorn Poo (translated
by Alan Marshfield)
(back)
(For full translation
see the Kindle ebook The Translations of Alan Marshfield)
POOR
PRINCE LUN-DAI
Phra
Maha Montree Sub (1809 – 51)
So
let the tale begin. Poor Prince Lun-Dai
alone
enjoys his throne, alone goes by—
wandering
on tour—
...
Phra Maha Montree Sub
(translated
by Alan Marshfield)
(back)
(For full translation
see the Kindle ebook The Translations of Alan Marshfield)
LITTLE
STAR
Sujit
Wongtes
(1973)
Twinkle
twinkle
little
star
Through
the seven kinds of palm-tree
Jow
Km-thong went out
to
live the life of a robber
and
has not turned about.
...
Sujit
Wongtes (translated
by Alan Marshfield)
(back)
(For full translation
see the Kindle ebook The Translations of Alan Marshfield)
PAT
Surasak
Sriprapan
(1968)
Young
Pat’s a north-east peasant, from Esan,
who
since a child has worked hard, soaked in sweat;
and
as, since he was small, his Dad’s been dead,
young
Pat’s lived rough and now he’s hard as nails.
...
Surasak
Sriprapan (translated
by Alan Marshfield)
(back)
(For full translation
see the Kindle ebook The Translations of Alan Marshfield)
LOST
BANANAS
Wat
Wanlayangkoon
(1975)
My
house is in a lane:
‘Lane
of Bananas’.
Near
me lives a monkey.
Monkey
likes bananas.
But
monkey lives on lawn
where
grow no bananas.
...
Wat
Wanlayangkoon (translated
by Alan Marshfield)
(back)
(For full translation
see the Kindle ebook The Translations of Alan Marshfield)
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