The Harmony between Nature and Man in Thai Poetry
Suchitra Chongsatitvatana
Suchitra.C@chula.ac.th
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
Abstract

The paper is an attempt to investigate the concept of harmony between nature and man expressed in Thai poetry from the past to the present to see to what extent this concept has persisted through the change of time and to what extent it has changed. 

The texts of Thai poetry selected for the study are poetical works of Prince Dhammadhibet of the Ayudhya period, Inao by King Rama II of the Rattanakosin period and the contemporary works of Angkhan Kalayanapong, especially the text of Ya, or Grandma. 

All the texts selected express a harmonious relationship between nature and man. In Thai literary conventions, nature is used to express love, joy and pain, especially in the Nirat genre. This is perfectly conveyed in Prince Dhammadhibet’s works as well as Inao of King Rama II, where love themes are most prominent. Whereas in Angkhan Kalayanapong’s poetry, the poet observes both the conventional concept of Nirat genre, like the poets of the past, and a more individual concept of his own.

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section: Articles

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