สำนักงานราชบัณทิตยสภา

The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume IV - 2012 130  Chang-Khun Phaen , a narrative poem about the lives of common people by King Rama II; Wali Pledges Her Service, The Birth of Sudsakhon , and Extraordinary Adventure , three episodes of Phra Aphai Mani , a narrative poem by Sunthon Phu, declared a world personage by UNESCO in 1986. Volume III b contains two long works of the Rattanakosin Period namely Lilit Taleng Phai (King Naresuan’s Victory over the Burmese) , an epic poem lauding the feat of King Naresuan the Great of Ayutthaya who defeated the Burmese Crown Prince in a fi ght on elephant back, by His Holiness Prince Paramanuchitchinoros, the 7 th Supreme Patriarch of Rattanakosin, and Ngo Pa: Romance of the Sakai , a poignant drama in verse by King Chulalongkorn about a love triangle that ends with the deaths of the three principal characters belonging to a primitive tribe living in the jungle of South Thailand. It is the only Thai literary work that thoroughly explores the living conditions of the Ngo or Sakai, also called “Semang” in Malay that should be of interest to those studying cultural anthropology. It can be seen from the Thai selections that most of the works were written by kings, royals, or courtiers. This is because in former time education started in the court. The royal children were the fi rst ones to have formal education, followed by children of courtiers, before education spread outside the palace. Many Thai kings were renowned writers, dramatists and poets and some were well-versed in foreign languages. For example, King Mongkut who had spent many years in the monkhood before his ascension to the throne was an expert on the ancient languages of India like Pali and Sanskrit and knew English and French. It was he who employed the service of an English governess to teach his children, one of them being Prince Chulalongkorn who succeeded his father as King Rama V. It should be noted that the subject matters of the selected works are varied. Some are religious or historical in nature and others deal with warfare, as during the Ayutthaya, Thon Buri, and Early Rattanakosin periods Thailand was constantly engaging in wars with neighboring countries. Foreign in fl uences derived through commercial or cultural contact with other countries appear in such works as I-nao , the story of a Javanese prince, and Ramakian , the Thai version of the Indian Ramayana epic. Though the plot and characters come from abroad the customs and traditions Translations of National Literature: Existing Translation Works as Means to Promote Better Understanding among Nations