The first nirat poem composed during the Ayutthaya period "Kamsuan Sriprat"
The article deals with the first poetic work of nirat genre “Kamsuan Sriprat” written during the Ayutthaya period of history of what is now Thailand by the great poet Sriprat; aiming at revealing this genre’s peculiarities. The purpose of the article is to explore this nirat poem and to analyze its plot and composition characteristics, as well as tropes (simile, metaphor), syntactical stylistic devices and expressive means (exclamation, anaphora etc.), and poetic diction, all brought to perfection. We conclude that nirat is a poetic genre which bears similarities to such genres as an elegy and travel writing, and that “Kamsuan Sriprat” has a range of unique features which differs it from classical poetical works of Thai literature. In this nirat poem, Sriprat praises the glory of Ayutthaya, the physical beauty and splendor of the temples, pagodas and palaces, gives descriptions of flora and fauna and relates them to his beloved whom he must have left behind. Thus, we can say that “Kamsuan Sriprat” is the acknowledged masterpiece of the nirat genre, and it has influenced many subsequent nirat poems. The poem was created by the talented Laureate Sriprat who was a somewhat innovator in literature.