SOAS Research Online

Abstract

Nirat poetry is one of the oldest and most persistent poetic genres in Thai literature. Its origin can be dated back to the 16th century. The concept of "Nirat" has been deeply held among Thai people with literary interest and its popularity has been secure right up to the present. Passages of Nirat often abound in epic-romances and dramatic poetry: they are aesthetically self-contained and independent of the plot ornarrative and are used to create moments of intensified emotion. Unfortunately, the existence of numerous poems of love-longing has caused some confusion among scholars; the variety of types of these poems has meant that there is no clear notion of the Nirat as a poetic genre. This thesis is concerned with the nature and development of the Nirat genre in Thai poetry. It attempts to uncover the intrinsic nature of Nirat poetry and seeks to differentiate a true Nirat type from the whole group of poems of love-in-separation. The term "Nirat" itself is defined both for its occurrences as a lexical form and as the name given to the genre. The analysis emphasizes the emergence of a particular type of poetry of love-longing which can be clearly defined and posited as the true Nirat type. The study then considers the method, form, and special techniques peculiar to the poems which established the foundation of the Nirat convention. Other Nirat poems which introduced new methods and techniques or which brought in new elements of form and expression, are then studied and analysed so that the development of all elements which constitute Nirat poetry can be explained and considered.