Chapter 11: Lao Rhymes

Introduction

Click on the flower to hear the following song.

Presenting Flowers to Teachers

The above verse is a waikhuu ² chant to pay respect to all teachers--religious teachers, parents, teachers in schools, and others who teach us some things in our lives respectively.  This is part of the chant which begins with paying respect to religious teachers.  After this part, we may pay homage to parents, teachers in and out of schools, and others.  It is believed that by being humble, paying respect to teachers, one is likely to succeed in everything one attempts to do.  It is usually chanted before one begins to undertake any difficult task.  The chant has been passed on from generation to generation; thus it is a type of folk songs.  The form of poetry is kon hok; there are six syllables in one line and there are specific internal rhyming positions.   Songs and poetry are usually interrelated.  A specific versification is used for a specific type of songs.  Both topics cover a lot of materials; thus this chapter will present various types of versification only.  The subsequent chapter will deal specifically with folksongs.

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Lao Rhymes

There are four major forms of rhymes in Lao poetic conventions: kaap (ກາບ), kon (ກອນ), khong (ໂຄງ), and saan (ສານ). ³

    Kaap (ກາບ) is a form of Lao rhymes used to read aloud; most of kaap poems are composed to be sung on various occasions for example, the Boat-racing Festival, the Rocket Festival, and so on.  When this type of poetry is sung it can be called, soeng (ເຊິ້ງ).  There is no restriction on the length of a poem.  The rhyming pattern is simple--the last syllable of the first line rhymes with the second or third in the next.

Example:

In the above stanza, there are four lines.  The rhyming syllables are nang ( (ນັ່ງ) in the first line and the second syllable, nang (ນັ່ງ), in the second line. The syllable suung (ສູງ) in the second line rhymes with the syllable lung (ລຸງ) in the third line. Finally, the syllable kaew (ແກ້ວ), in the third line rhymes with the third syllable laew ( (ແລ້ວ) in the forth line.

The diagram of kaap: 

The circle represents a syllable and the lines shows the rhyming of the syllables between the lines.

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Kon (ກອນ) is a form of Lao rhyme with specific rhyming pattern, numbers of syllables in a line, and internal and external alliterations and rhymes, and tone-positions.  There are seven syllables in the middle plus two additive words before and after the seven syllables in the middle.  There are four types of kon (ກອນ): kon aan (ກອນອ່ານ), kon phayaa (ກອນຜະຫຍາ), kon lam (ກອນລຳ), and kon hai (ກອນຮ່າຍ) or kon thet (ກອນເທດ).  Each type is used for a specific purpose.

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       Kon aan (ກອນອ່ານ) is usually used to compose long elaborate folk epics such as Thao Suriwong, Thao Sangsinxai, Thao Kalaked, Khun Theung, The Story of Prince Vessantara, Thao Cheuang and etc.  These epics are to be read aloud in social gatherings such as at funeral wakes, at child birth when a mother remain by the fire, house-warming ceremony, and so on.  

Example:

The following excerpt is from the Story of Prince Vessantara, "The Royal Children."

From the above lines, one can notice some rhyming and alliteration patterns as well as the tone restrictions.

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Alliterations and assonances:  The corresponding colors of the consonants illustrate alliterative sounds and assonances. 

For tone restrictions, composer may use any tones, but two tonal sounds--ek (low falling) and tho (high falling) are required.

The Ek Verse must have three syllables with ek tonal soundsand at least two tho tonal sounds

The Tho Verse must have at least three syllables with tho tonal sounds and at least three syllables with ek tonal sounds.

The above verse can be either ek or tho verse; it has three syllables with ek sounds--ບາບ (baap), ອ່ອນ (on), ອຸ່ນ (un) and at least three syllables with tho sounds--ນັ້ນ (nan),  ເຖ້າ (thao), ໄດ້ (dai), ນ້ອຍ (noi), and  ຍຸ້ມ (yum).

The second stanza can be either ek or tho verse as well, as it follows the same rules:  at least three tho tonal sounds--ນ້ອຍ (noi),  ນ້ອງ (nong), ໄດ້ (dai), ລ້າວ (laow) and at least three ek tonal sounds--ວ່າ (waa),  ສັດ (sat),   ພີ່(phii), ບ^ໍ່ (bo), and  ຢາກ (yaak).

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           Kon phayaa (ກອນຜະຫຍາ) is a short verse of two to four lines with tonal restrictions similar to kon aan above. Kon phayaa is used in three ways: first, it is used with proverbs called kon phayaa phaasit (ກອນຜະຫຍາພາສິດ); second, it is used to tell stories in brief called nithaan phayaa (ນິທານຜະຫຍາ); and third, it is used for courting poetry called phayaa to yae la waang bao sao (ຜະຫຍາຕໍ່ແຍລະຫວ່າງບ່າວສາວ).

Examples:  Kon phayaa proverbs of one, two and four lines.

Example of nithaan phayaa (ນິທານຜະຫຍາ) from The Story of Vessantara Prince, "Nang Mittatta."⁴

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Example of phayaa to yae la waang bao sao (ຜະຫຍາຕໍ່ແຍລະຫວ່າງບ່າວສາວ).

A man may say the following to court a woman:

A woman may reply with the following lines:

The man may respond to the woman with the following verse:

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Then the woman may reply to the man's comment below:

Then, the man may follow suit to end the exchange:

With that the girl's heart is won, so she says:

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           Kon lam (ກອນລຳ) is composed to be sung with khaen (Lao wind musical instrument) accompaniment.  This kind of folk singing is called lam (ລຳ) and the singer of this kind of songs is called mo lam (ຫມອລຳ).    The verse for lam is similar to kaap or kon aan.  There is no restriction on the number of line in a verse, but each verse must rhyme with the next internally and externally.

Example:

The above singing verse is considered musical for it contains internal rhymes within lines and between lines, alliterations, and assonances.   The translation may not do justice to the original as I tried to capture mostly its meaning.

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    Kon hai or kon thet (ກອນຮ່າຍ ຫລື ກອນເທດ) is a type of rhyme that is used to compose chants for Buddhist monks and for mo phon (master of ceremony in Brahman rituals) in blessing ceremonies.  They rhyming pattern for kon hai is simple.   The last word of the first line rhymes with any word in the next line.

Example of kon hai or kon thet--an excerpt from a bai sii suu khwan ceremony.

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    Khong (ໂຄງ) is a type of Lao rhyme which is interconnected between the lines as human ribs connected to the human frame or parts of the house that are connected to the main structure of the house.  There are many types of khong (ໂຄງ) and the name of each type depends on the number of syllables in a line, beginning with khong song (ໂຄງສອງ--two words) to khong chet (ໂຄງເຈັດ--seven words).  Internal rhyming patterns for the two and three word poems are the same; the last syllable in the first line rhymes with the first syllable in the next line.  As for the four, five, six, and seven word poems, they are like those of kaap, the first type of poetry mentioned earlier.
 

Examples of khong song  (the two word poems)

1. Fishing rod's rhyme begins with the same word in the first two lines without rhyming, but all four words alliterate.  The last word in the second line rhymes with the first word of the third line and so on.  This rhyme tells of the full cycle of fishing from herding fish and crabs to cooking.

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2.   Xiangmiang's two word rhyme (a tricky poem):  Each word in this poem is relating to an animal in one way or another.  It could be an action such as ngok ngok is a slow, large, and heavy movement.   So it is an elephant.

The diagrams of the above rhyme:

Example of khong saam (three word rhyme)

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Diagram of the khong saam above

Example of khong sii (the three word rhyme) and the diagram of the poem.

Diagram of the above rhyme

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Example of khong haa (the five word rhyme) uses the same rhyming pattern as kaap.   A distinguish feature of khong haa is that a poem can be read in three ways:  first it can be read line by line from line one to the last line; second it can be read by odd lines only; and finally it can be read by even lines only.   This pattern of reading of poetry with the five word poem is call khong haa dan.

1.  The poem can be read from line one to four.

2.  The above poem can be read only odd lines.

3.  The above can also be read only even lines.

Example of khong hok (the six word poem) uses the same rhyming pattern as kaap.

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Example of khong chet (seven word rhyme) uses the same rhyming pattern as kaap but with seven words in a line.

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  The last type of Lao rhyme is called saan (lko) which a type of rhymes or songs composed to send messages.  Saan can be in poetic prose or in verse.  Please see chapter 10 on Epistolary Chronicles for more examples.

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Notes to Chapter 11: Lao Folksongs and Poetry

     1.  Adapted from a Thai/Lao folk song chanted to pay respect to all teachers--religious teachers, parents, teachers in schools, and others who teach us some things in our lives.  This is part of the chant which begins with paying respect to religious teachers.  Then, we may pay homage to parents, teachers in and out schools, and others.  It is believed that by being humble, paying respect to teachers, one is likely to succeed in everything one attempts to do.  It is usually chanted before one begins to do any difficult tasks.

     2.  Wai khuu (wai, to bow with joined hands in prayer gesture, is a gesture of respect; khuu means teachers) is a ceremony where one pays homage to all teachers mentioned in note number 1.   In paying respect to teachers, one gains confidence and blessings from teachers.

     3.  Unless otherwise noted, contents and examples of Lao poetry presented in this chapter are adapted from two books-- Baebhian phasa lae wannakhadee san matthayom pithi song (A Textbook on Lao Language and Literature for the Eighth Grade Students), Vientiane: The National Research Institute of Science and Education, Ministry of Education, 1997, pp. 72-85; and Maha Sila Viravongs, "Wannakhadii Lao--paphet khong wannakhadii (Lao Literature--Types of Literature)," in Payot khong wannakhadee (The Benefits of Literature), Vientiane: Phainam Kanphim, 1996,  pp. 1-22.

    4. Grandma Haa Wutthirak, age 70 years old from Ban Sikaew in Roi-et, Thailand.