สำนักงานราชบัณทิตยสภา

117  The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume IV - 2012 tooth-ache. Moreover, some elderly people, hearing that the King gave pieces of ice, would not believe that it was made of water. They whispered in amazement, “How can they shape water into a solid thing?” This is because there is a saying in Phra Ruang’s Proverbs, “Do not shape water into a body”, which means, “Do not do something against nature”, or it can be a censure that someone tells a lie to resemble the truth. I have been long familiar with this saying from the ancient time. The ice-making factory has just been set up in our country in King Rama V’s reign (Prince Damrong, 1962: 19-20). Prince Damrong relates the changing of the royal court customs when King Rama V returned from his visit to Singapore. He also tells about the feeling of young princes most interestingly. Readers can see how the children were fun-loving and full of curiosity. “At the time the court customs were changed after His Majesty returned from Singapore, young princes like myself still accompanied the King. When he went to sit in the parlour, if we were not sent away because he had guests, we could enjoy sitting in a chair. When he went by car in the afternoon, we crept into the second car to follow him. In the evening at dinner, if there were empty seats at his table, he would send for young princes to sit in the vacant chairs. I could sit and eat at the table and enjoy some ice-cream. Ice-cream was a wonderful thing at that time because a small ice-maker, like the rural people have nowadays, had just arrived in Siam. On some days the water was frozen, but on other days it was not frozen solid. Therefore the day we had ice-cream was considered superb. Young princes like myself were not forced to use the modern costume. Even so, when I saw how the adults dressed themselves, I wanted to wear stockings and shoes so much. I begged my mother to get them for me. Seeing that I regularly joined the King’s retinue, my mother bought me shoes and stockings. I was so glad. But the fi rst day I wore them, I was sorry because my shoes were quiet, they did not make any noise and I had heard that they should squeak “odd, odd,” if they were good shoes. I asked the royal guards how to make the shoes squeak. They suggested that I pour some coconut oil on the soles. I took their advice and tried to do so. When the shoes sounded “eed, eed”, I was pleased (Prince Damrong, 1966: 181-182). Panya Borisutdhi