Epic
ຜາແດງນາງໄອ່
Not translated into English
Anonymous · 1500
Synopsis
Two lovers from former lives find each other again, then are separated by fate and by the jealousy of a serpent prince in love with the young woman. Their thwarted love sets off a catastrophe that swallows an entire kingdom, and the lake born of that anger is still shown today in the north-east.
Context
The text was transmitted in verse on palm-leaf manuscripts and through recitation, in a popular metre proper to this area. A verse translation into English was given in 1990, one hundred and seventy-six pages, and it was the first time that a popular narrative of this area passed into that language in rhymed form. Anthropologists have recorded several competing oral versions, which is the mark of texts that were recited for a long time before being fixed. In Thailand, the poem has been supplementary school reading since an edition of 1978, and a popular song takes up its characters.
Who it is for
An epic in verse, not translated into French. The nagas are the serpents of the waters, masters of rain and lakes, and the story can also be read as an explanation of the landscape.
Prizes and reception
It is recited every year at the rocket festival, and ethnologists read it as a document on the relations between people and the waters.