I lived from 1786-1856.
I was from Thailand, and am in the Asian category.
Sunthorn (or Sunthon) Phu was born in Bangkok in 1786. Phu spent his childhood with his mother -- a wet nurse to a princess of the royal family -- within the palace of King Rama I. He received a standard education in the Wat Sri Sudaram monastery in Klong Bangkok Noi, and went on to take a job as a clerk in a government office. He also began a romantic affair with a lady of the royal court, which led eventually to his imprisonment (it was illegal, at the time, for a commoner to engage in romantic relationships with the aristocracy).
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Upon his release in 1806 Phu left Bangkok for Muang Klaeng, where his father was a monk, with the intention of taking holy orders himself. Only a few months after his arrival, Phu was forced to return home to Bangkok because of an illness. Although he did not become a monk, his poetic voice flourished, and he began writing the first of nine Nirats, an epic Thai literary form that deals with the association between memory and place. In 1809 the recently ascended King Rama II was so taken with Phu's verse -- especially Nirat Phra Bat, a poem written about a royal prince at the Phra Buddha Bat shrine -- that he gave Phu a high position in the court as a poet and literary-friend of the king. Although his new position provided a financially comfortable and writing-friendly environment in which to work, Phu was again imprisoned after a drunken brawl resulted in the serious injury of his uncle. While he was in prison, Phu found the inspiration for his greatest work, Phra Abhai Mani, an epic poem about the adventures of two princes. Although it would not see completion until the middle of his life, Phu sold a number of early cantos as an inmate, providing himself with a substantial income even while in jail.
After a short stay, Phu was granted a full pardon by the king, and returned to his high position in the royal court as instructor to the royal sons and general literary-advisor. He also become part of a literary circle headed by the king himself which composed one of the greatest works in the Thai language, The Story of Khun Chang and Khun Phan. While acting in his official capacities, Phu also incurred the wrath of the king's oldest son, Prince Jesdabodindra, by publicly criticizing his verse. When Jesdabodindra ascended to the throne in 1824, Phu was stripped of his titles and forced, because of financial matters, to become a monk. He remained a monk for 18 years, writing numerous poems about his travels (chief among them: Nirat Suphan and Nirat Wat Chao Fa) until Prince Lakhananukhun, a younger son of King Rama III, provided him with a patronage. During this time he wrote the final cantos of Phra Abhai Mani.
His good luck did not last long, however. Prince Lakhanaukhun died shortly after bestowing the patronage, and Phu was once again forced into poverty. He wandered the land in a small boat, selling poems for food and shelter for many years, until another younger son of Rama II, Prince Isaresrangsan, rediscovered him and took him into royal service. Phu again made such an impression on the royal family that when Prince Mongkut ascended the throne as Rama IV he gave Phu the title of 'Phra Sunthorn Voharn,' and invested him with full regal status. Phu kept the title for the rest of his life, and in the interim wrote several Nirats, other poems, and lullabies for the royal children. He died in 1855 at the age of seventy.
Sunthorn Phu is easily Thailand's best-loved poet and his work is still highly celebrated. Sunthorn Phu Day is celebrated every year in Thailand on the 26th of June.
Biography Source: Wikipedia, et al.
Picture Source: Thai Students Online
My poetry
I salute the Pagoda of the Holy Relics
May the true religion live forever.
14 lines
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