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The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand

Volume XVI-2024 (Special Issue)

Kap He Poetry in the Ayutthaya Period

Kap He poetry was first composed in the late Ayutthaya Period during the reign of
King Borommakot. The most prominent Kap He poet was Prince Thammathibet, one of

King Borommakot.’s sons, who created several works, including Kap He Ruea, He Kaki, He Bot

Sangwat (the section on carnal coupling), and He Khruan (expressing the poet’s lamentation
section).
Among these, Kap He Ruea is the most notable. It consists of four sections: He Chom Ruea

(praising royal barges), He Chom Pla (praising fishes), He Chom Mai (praising trees), and

He Chom Nok (praising birds). The poet intertwined descriptions of nature with expressions
of longing for a distant lover.
Other compositions, such as He Kaki, had only one section, but had been passed down

in many versions. In He Bot Sangwat, there was only one part of the content while He Khruan

contained two parts of the content.
It can be clearly seen that the first verse or the two verses of Kap Yani had the same
content as that in the introductory verse of Khlong Si Suphap. Moreover, the content of Kap

He composed by Prince Thammathibet, in addition to admiring the royal barges procession

and the beauty of nature, also conveyed the poet’s emotions towards his loved one and used
the story of Kaki from Thai literature to express his desires.
It is noteworthy that Kap He poetry was not found during the Thonburi Period but was

revived later in the Rattanakosin Period.

Kap He Poetry in the Rattanakosin Period
The composition of Kap He poetry in the Rattanakosin Period began in the latter part of

the reign of King Rama I with the works of Prince Itsarasunthorn (who later became King Rama II).

Subsequent kings, including King Chulalongkorn (King Rama V) and King Vajiravudh (King Rama VI),
continued this tradition. In addition, there were Kap He poetry of other poets too. For example,
the compositions by Prince Naritsaranuwattiwong in the reign of King Rama VII and the works of

many poets in the reign of King Rama IX and King Rama X as well.

During the reign of King Rama IX, approximately 20 Kap He compositions were
created, primarily for royal barge processions held during Royal Kathin Ceremonies at
Wat Arunratchawararam. These compositions also commemorated significant events, such as

th
the 25 Buddhist Century Celebration, the Bicentennial Celebrations of Bangkok, and
international conferences like the APEC summit. Notably, Kap He poetry was performed during
King Rama X’s coronation barge procession on December 12, 2019.

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