Thai poetic works follow established prosodic forms, known as
chanthalak (, ). Almost all have rules governing the exact
metre and
rhyme structure, i.e. the number of syllables in each
line and which syllable rhymes with which. Certain forms also specify the
tone or tone marks of syllables; others have requirements of syllable "heaviness".
Alliteration and within-line rhyming are also often employed, but are not required by the rules.
Khlong The
khlong (, ) is among the oldest Thai poetic forms. This is reflected in its requirements on the tone markings of certain syllables, which must be marked with
mai ek (, , ) or
mai tho (, , ). This was likely derived from when the Thai language had three tones (as opposed to today's five, a split which occurred during the Ayutthaya period), two of which corresponded directly to the aforementioned marks. It is usually regarded as an advanced and sophisticated poetic form. In
khlong, a stanza (
bot, , ) has a number of lines (
bat, , , from
Pali and
Sanskrit pāda), depending on the type. The
bat are subdivided into two
wak (, , from Sanskrit
varga). The first
wak has five syllables, the second has a variable number, also depending on the type, and may be optional. The type of
khlong is named by the number of
bat in a stanza; it may also be divided into two main types:
khlong suphap (, ) and
khlong dan (, ). The two differ in the number of syllables in the second
wak of the final
bat and inter-stanza rhyming rules. The main feature of the
chan is its requirements on the "heaviness" of each syllable. Syllables are classified as either "light" (
lahu, , ), those with a short vowel and open ending, or "heavy" (
kharu, , ; See also
Light and heavy syllables under
Sanskrit prosody). The Thai metres follow their Pali/Sanskrit origins, with added rhyming schemes. Modern authors have also invented new forms for their compositions. Two traditional forms are shown here.
Kap yani The
kap yani (, , or
yani sip et,
sip et meaning
eleven, referring to the number of syllables per
bat) has two
bat per stanza. Each has two
wak, with five and six syllables. It is slow in rhythm, and usually used to describe beauty and nature. The following plan shows the rhyming scheme in two stanzas; the spaces show the usual rhythmic breaks (not shown in writing). The
klon metres are named by the number of syllables in a
wak, e.g.
klon hok (, ) has six syllables per
wak (
hok means
six). All metres have the same rhyming scheme, and there are also requirements on the tone of the final syllable of each
wak. The
klon is also divided into several types according to their manner of composition, with
klon suphap (, ) being the basic form. The following plan shows the structure of
klon suphap (two stanzas) in the most common eight-syllable variety, which was employed extensively by
Sunthorn Phu, and is the most common form of the Rattanakosin period. The letters in parentheses represent alternative rhyming syllables. In practice, occasional
wak with seven or nine syllables are also acceptable.
Example Transcription:
Rai The
rai (, ) is probably the oldest Thai poetic form and was used in laws and chronicles. It is also the simplest. It consists of a continuing series of
wak of unspecified number, usually with five syllables each, and with rhymes from the last syllable of a
wak to the first, second or third of the next. Some variations don't specify the number of syllables per
wak and are actually a form of
rhymed prose. A composition consisting of
rai alternating with (and ending with)
khlong is known as
lilit (, ), and suggests that the
khlong developed from the
rai. The following is the form of
rai known as
rai boran (, ). OOOA A(A)(A)OB B(B)(B)OC C(C)(C)OD D(D)(D)OE E(E)(E)OO ...
Example ==Reading==