Sang-Thong A Dance-Drama from Thailand. King Rama II

      

      Sang Thong

       A DANCE-DRAMA FROM THAILAND

       _{Sang Thong}

      A DANCE-DRAMA

      FROM THAILAND Written by

      King Rama II & the Poets of His Court

      Translation with Introduction & Notes

      by FERN S. INGERSOLL

      Illustrated by Bunson Sukhphun

      Charles E. Tuttle Company

       RUTLAND, VERMONT & TOKYO, JAPAN

      Representatives

      For Continental Europe:

       BOXERBOOKS, INC., Zurich

      For the British Isles:

       PRENTICE-HALL INTERNATIONAL, INC., London

      For Australasia:

       PAUL FLESCH & CO., PTY. LTD., Melbourne

      For Canada:

       M. G. HURTIG, LTD., Edmonton

      This book is one of the volumes assisted by the Asian Literature Program of the Asia Society, Inc. New York,

      Published by the Charles E. Tuttle Company, Inc.

      of Rutland, Vermont & Tokyo, Japan

      with editorial offices at

      Osaki Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-0032

      Copyright in Japan, 1973

       by Charles E. Tuttle Co., Inc.

      All rights reserved

      Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 72-88097

       ISBN: 978-1-4629-1232-2 (ebook)

      First printing, 1973

      PRINTED IN JAPAN

      For my Mother & Father

      Table of Contents

       List of Illustrations

       Preface

       Acknowledgments

       Introduction

       History: Interaction of a "Great" and a "Little" Tradition

       Style: Performance of the Dance-Drama

       The Living Tradition in Thailand

       Sang Thong in Other Southeast Asian Countries

       Thai Views of Life in Their Asian Context

       Sang Thong: The Golden Prince of the Conch Shell

       Lists of Characters

      In Dramatic Form

      ACT ONE: The Birth of Prince Sang

      In Narrative Form

      ACT TWO: The Drowning of Prince Sang

      ACT THREE: The Boyhood of Prince Sang

      ACT FOUR: The Flight of Prince Sang

      ACT FIVE: The Choice of Husbands

      ACT SIX: The Winning of Rochana

      ACT SEVEN: Hunting and Fishing

      ACT EIGHT: The Polo Match

      ACT NINE: The Reunion

       Notes

       Bibliography

       Glossary-Index

      List of Illustrations

		Page
1.	King Yosawimon's inspection of his city	84
2.	Homage to the deities	86
3.	The end of a heavenly existence	88
4.	Interpretation of a dream	90
5.	Paying respect to Chantha	92
6.	Bribing the astrologer	94
7.	The fire-rest	96
8.	Sailing into exile	98
9.	Chanthewi carrying the shell	100
10.	Grandmother's reproach	102
11.	Pounding rice	104
12.	The task of a forest gatherer	106
13.	Prince Sang at play	108

      Preface

      This translation and study of the background and present-day importance of Sang Thong have been done in an effort to discover in a literary work expressions of Thai views of life, and especially of views that offer some contrast with those of the West; to trace some of Sang Thong's motifs within the wider context of Southeast Asian and Indian patterns of thought; and to gain some insight into its dual historical development as it was gradually formulated by learned priests and refined courtiers, as well as by common, fun-loving villagers.

      I