Epic · A way to begin
ສິນໄຊ
Not translated into English
Pang Kham · 1650
Synopsis
A prince endowed at birth with a marvellous weapon sets out to wrest a kinswoman from the clutches of her abductor, accompanied by two brothers whose coming into the world was marked by prodigy. The road is strewn with monsters and giants. Twenty thousand lines, and a metre that the country's pupils learned from this very text.
Context
The poem recounts the expedition of a prince born with a bow and his two brothers, one born with an elephant's head, the other in the form of a shell, who set out to free their aunt, abducted by a devouring spirit. It was copied on palm leaves and kept in monasteries, each region having its own version; since the leaves lasted only a century in the tropics, each generation had to recopy the text, which explains the variants. It served as a language primer as much as entertainment. Maha Sila Viravong produced the first complete edition in 1969, then rewrote it in everyday language for younger generations.
Who it is for
A long verse epic, to be read in episodes. The available translations are partial and often in prose.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as the masterpiece of Lao literature, it has been the subject of a critical edition by the École française d'Extrême-Orient and is taught in the country's schools.
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