Epic: From Reamker

Abstract

Abstract:The Reamker (Ramakerti, "The Glory of Rama") is the title given to the Khmer versions of the Ramayana. The most famous version, Reamker I: Early Episodes, is also the oldest extant recension, having been composed in Middle Khmer during the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries. Of its twenty-one episodes, the first two are translated here. Much of the remaining narrative is found only in the eighteenth-century text Reamker II: Later Episodes. Both were likely composed for shadow-puppet theater. A number of other versions of the Reamker have survived in oral traditions, typically in prose. Whether performed on the stage or recited in village festivals, the Reamker remains one of the most beloved pieces of classical literature in contemporary Cambodia.The first episode introduces us to the might of Prince Rama (pronounced "Ream" in modern Khmer), known to Cambodians as both an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu and a previous incarnation of the Buddha. The episode narrates Rama's slaying of a demon who disrupts a ritual at his teacher Vishvamitra's forest hermitage. The second episode begins with the birth of Sita, discovered in a furrow in a plowed field by her father, King Janaka of Mithila. Janaka holds a contest, offering Sita in marriage to anyone who can lift a magic bow. After all the other gods fail, Vishvamitra calls for Rama to try his hand; he wins easily.The poetic sensibility of the Reamker, particularly Reamker I, is among the finest in all of Khmer literature. The diction is by turns graceful and arresting. The emotions of humans and gods are more restrained than in Reamker II, but compelling nonetheless. tw