Complaint in Modern Thai Poetry

Abstract

This research aims to study the characteristics and the importance of lamentation in modern Thai poetry, focusing on the works of Angkarn Kalayanapong, Naowarat Pongpaibul, Sujit Wongthes, Komtuan Kanthanu, Raekham Pradouykham and Phaiwarin Khao-ngam. The selected authors adopted the tradition of lamentation and modified it to comply with the modern society and culture.

Results of the study show that lamentation in modern Thai poetry portrays many situations: exile from homeland, portraying crying, recalling happy memories, depicting complaint through things encountered and complaint with society criticized, based on depiction in complaint of the past poets. Modern Thai poets expanded the scope of lamentation from the individual to the general condition of society. In addition, lamentation in modern Thai poetry is an important means by which the poet expresses emotions, views toward society, nature, politics, and also expresses capabilities to compose poetry to deeply move readers to feel complex feelings, imagine along and understand the poet’s ideas.