Table Of Content

T T UM EAV A Translation and Analysis of a Cambodian Literary Classic George Chigas Copyright © 2005 by the Documentation Center of Cambodia. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. mCÄmNÐlÉksarkm<úCa Searching for the Truth Documentation Center of Cambodia P.O. Box 1110, Phnom Penh, Cambodia Tel.: + 855 (23) 211-875 Fax.: + 855 (23) 210-358 E-mail: [email protected] Homepage: www.dccam.org National Library of Cambodia Cataloguing in Publication Data 1. Cambodia-History 2. Cambodia-Literature I. Chigas, George II. Cougill, Wynne III. Chhang, Youk 895.932 Tum Teav: A Translation and Analysis of a Cambodian Literary Classic Tum Teav, Edited by Wynne Cougill and Youk Chhang, 2004, 2005 Tum Teav,Cover and Shapes illustration by Khun Sovannarith, Reyum Institute, 2004 Tum Teav,Cover and book design by Paulomi Shah and Kim Sovanndany, 2005 DISCLAIMER The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author. ISBN-10: 99950-60-01-9 lsxG-10³ 99950-60-01-9 ISBN-13: 978-99950-60-01-5 lsxG-13³ 978-99950-60-01-5 Printed in Cambodia CONTENTS Acknowledgements CHAPTER 1 The Importance of Tum Teav . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 • Oral Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 • Historical Versions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 The Royal Chronicles Texts Based on the Chronicles • Literary Versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 The Place of Tum Teav in the Cambodian Literary Canon Palm Leaf Versions Contemporary Literary Versions • Modern Adaptations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Theatrical Versions Comic Strip Format Film Song CHAPTER 2 The Story of Tum Teav. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 CHAPTER 3 Tum Teav in Cambodian Literary Criticism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 • The Emergence of Cambodian Literary Criticism . . . . . . . 147 • Literary Criticism on Tum Teav . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154 The Authorship Controversy Major Themes CHAPTER 4 Tum Teav Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 • Tbong Khmom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 • Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Short Biographies of Interviewees Interviewees’ Viewpoints on Tum Teav • Conclusion: Tum Teav and Systems of Justice in Cambodia Today. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238 Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book would not have been possible without the support and advice of many people. First and foremost, I would like to thank my wife Sovann-Thida Loeung, who is the light of my life. Since this book is based on my PhD thesis at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, I would like to acknowledge my wonderful supervisor, Dr. David Smyth. I would also like to give special thanks to Mrs. Judith Jacob, whose work in Cambodian studies has long been an inspiration to me, and Dr. Klairung Amratisha, with whom I spent many engaging hours discussing Khmer studies in London and Thailand. In Cambodia, I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet with many fine writers and scholars. First among them are Mr. Pech Tum Kravel and Mr. Hang Soth. I would also like to thank Mr. You Bo and the writers at the Khmer Writers Association for sharing with me their views on the story, as well as Mr. Youk Chhang and the staff at the Documentation Center of Cambodia for their generosity in arranging my trip to Tbong Khmom. A special thanks to Mr. Alex Lip, who was a tremendous help in translating the many hours of interviews used for the book. In France, I was able to access the necessary documents and texts for this research with the help of many people. I would like to thank Dr. Ashley Thompson for her kind hospitality and keen insight into Khmer studies. I also gratefully acknowledge Dr. Khin Hoc Dy, Mr. Alain Daniel, Dr. Mak Phoeun and Mr. Ham Chhay Ly, who provided me with articles and resources critical to my research. During the process of writing this book, I have benefited greatly from the help of many scholars of Khmer studies. Among them are Professor Ben Kiernan at Yale University, Dr. Okada Tomoko at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, Dr. Toni Shapiro Phim, Mr. Thavro Phim, and Dr. Susan Cook. I owe all of them my sincere gratitude and appreciation. In addition, I would like to offer my sincere appreciation to Ms. Wynne Cougill and Youk Chhang at DC-Cam for their painstaking and careful reading of the transcript. The quality of the book’s presentation owes everything to their hard work. Of course, I take full responsibility for the content of the book and any errors or inaccuracies. Last, I gratefully acknowledge the generosity of the New Zealand Agency for International Development and the New Zealand Embassy in Bangkok for making this publication possible. I also thank the US Agency for International Development and Swedish International Development Agency for their core support to DC-Cam. CHAPTER 1: The Importance of Tum Teav Tum Teav is a tragic love story about a talented novice monk named Tum and a beautiful adolescent girl named Teav. There are numerous versions of the story that cover all the major modes of expression in Cambodian culture. In addition to oral versions, Tum Teav appears in different historical texts, as it is generally believed that the story’s characters are based on actual people and events in Cambodian history. There are literary versions and modern adaptations of the story for Cambodian theater and film as well. The different versions of Tum Teavin various genres attest to the story’s enduring importance and popularity in Cambodian culture and society.1 Tum Teav is a cornerstone of the Cambodian literary canon and has been taught in Cambodian schools since 1957, the year Khmer literature was introduced into the national curriculum after the country won independence from the French (Cambodia was a French protectorate from 1863 to 1954). In 1958, the government stipulated that Tum Teavbe taught in schools and universities beginning at the secondary level. By the 1960s, it was a central text in the Khmer literature curriculum for secondary schools. In the third-year class (the equivalent of the second year of high school in the West), Tum Teav was taught along with such classical texts as The Reamker, the Khmer version of the Indian epic, The Ramayana. These texts were used to illustrate the influences of Buddhism and Brahmanism in Cambodian literature (the two other categories of literature taught in 1957 were modern texts and aphorisms). In the first-year curriculum, the story was studied along with the modern novel because of its realistic portrayal of everyday life in Cambodian society. Its description of ancient Cambodian customs also demonstrates that it is a uniquely Cambodian product and not an adaptation of a foreign text. In 1965, the curriculum of Khmer literature was revised and many works were removed. Tum Teav was maintained in the curriculum, affirming its importance to Cambodian literature and cultural identity.2 By the 1960s, Tum Teavhad become a topic of serious literary research 2 Tum Teav and debate among Cambodian scholars. In 1960, the Khmer Writers Association, under the direction of Hel Somphea, traveled to Tbong Khmom to research the origin of the story and its basis in Cambodian history.3They met with supposed descendents of former slaves described in the story and were shown sites where episodes from the story were believed to have taken place, such as the site where Teav committed suicide.4 A number of critical texts on Tum Teavwere written in the 1960s as well. The scholarly texts that investigate the authenticity of different versions of the story and other questions, as well as texts that provide background on the controversy concerning Tum Teav’s authorship, are discussed in Chapter 3. Oral Versions The historical, literary and modern versions of Tum Teav trace their origins back to the oral versions of the story.5 These versions were performed by professional singers who traveled the Cambodian countryside during the 19th century.6 In the 1950s, for example, a famous storyteller known as Ta Krud inspired many listeners with his performances of the Reamker. In the late 19th century, a woman named Sai Pour recited Tum Teav to the accompaniment of a chapei (a long-necked, two-string guitar) in Srok Sithor Kandal in Prey Veng province and many other places.7 The fact that Tum Teav was part of the repertoire of stories recited by these traveling minstrels is a good indication of the story’s importance in Cambodian society since at least the middle of the 19th century. The story’s importance was clearly evident to Etienne Aymonier (1844-1929), who produced two translations of the oral versions, and Louis Delaporte, who published Aymonier’s first translation. Etienne Aymonier arrived in Cambodia in 1869 as a member of the French navy. He held various posts and in 1873 was named adjunct representative of the Protectorate in Phnom Penh. This position required Aymonier to travel throughout Cambodia and enabled him to pursue his study of Khmer by translating palm leaf manuscripts and temple inscriptions. In 1874, Aymonier supervised the instruction of Cambodians enrolled at the College of Administrator Training and was director of the college from 1877 to 1878. He produced his first translation of Tum Teav in 1880.8 Aymonier attempted to investigate the source of the story by traveling to Tbong Khmom district in 1883.9Its residents told Aymonier that the story was true, and he learned that their resentment for being called the The Importance of Tum Teav 3 descendants of hereditary slaves was the reason it was strictly forbidden to tell the story in Tbong Khmom.10 For this reason, Aymonier was accompanied by French forces during his research, and his Cambodian guide was as discreet as possible when showing Aymonier the locations where events in the story were believed to have taken place.11 Aymonier included the information he gathered during this trip to supplement his second translation of Tum Teav, which was included in his Le Cambodge I, Le Royaume Actuel, published in 1900.12 Louis Delaporte was chief of a mission to Cambodia for the French Ministry of Public Education. Earlier, in 1865, he had been part of a mission under Doudart de Lagrée sent to find the source of the Mekong. Delaporte also heard Tum Teav performed during his travels in the Cambodian countryside. In 1873, for example, he heard the story performed in the village of Beng Mea-Lea during a journey between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. At the invitation of the village leader, Delaporte attended a Buddhist Kathin ceremony that was followed by a banquet and entertainment.13 The banquet ended with a performance of Tum Teav that Delaporte listened to from beginning to end with the aid of an interpreter. Delaporte was so impressed with the story that he included Aymonier’s translation in his Voyage au Cambodge, Architecture Khmère, published in 1880 (at that time, Delaporte was in Saigon as part of the administration of the French Protectorate). Both Delaporte and Aymonier described the story as a “drame historique” that depicts actual events in Cambodian history. Aymonier suggested two dates when the events in the story took place. In his Cambodge I,he dates the story to the first half of the 18th century. He later modifies this date in his 1903 text Cambodge III to the second half of the 18th century during the reign of an unpopular monarch named King Rea-mea. The characters and events in the oral versions of Tum Teav published by Delaporte and Aymonier are similar to those in the literary version of this book’s Chapter 2, which is based on the 1962 edition of Tum Teav by Venerable Botumthera Som. There are, however, some notable exceptions. In the oral versions, the novice monk is named Ek instead of Tum. Also, in the oral versions Tum and Teav are officially engaged before they are brought to the royal palace, which is not the case in the literary version. Last, in the oral versions Orh-Chhuon and his son are the ones who devise the trick to call Teav back from the royal palace and convince Teav’s mother to write the letter stating falsely that she is very ill. In the literary version, it is Teav’s mother who devises the ploy. 4 Tum Teav Historical Versions As stated above, the events described in Tum Teavare believed to have taken place in Cambodian history. The provinces and towns in the story do in fact exist, and the modern residents of Tbong Khmom have preserved items they believe belonged to Teav, the story’s heroine.14 Despite popular belief, however, it is difficult to find empirical evidence to support the argument that the people and events described in the story are based on historical fact. The most convincing written evidence is the story’s inclusion in Cambodian historical texts. Two kinds of historical sources are considered here: the Royal Chronicles and historical texts that use the Chronicles as a primary source. The Royal Chronicles Tum Teav appears in two versions of the Cambodian historical documents known as the Royal Chronicles. This disparate group of texts traces the reigns of successive Cambodian kings back to their mythical origin.15 The oldest existing Chronicle was written during the reign of King Ang Chan II (1806-1834) in 1818. The most recent version was written in 1966, when Prince Norodom Sihanouk (1941-1970) was in power. In 1879, a legendary part that describes the mythical origin of Khmer kings was added to the original historical part of the Chronicles.16 The versions that include both the legendary and historical parts are referred to as the complete versions. In an attempt to clarify the historical validity of the Chronicles, contemporary historians make a distinction between the legendary and historical parts of the various versions. However, it is questionable just where the legendary part ends and the historical part begins, or what is historical and what is imaginative or legendary in the Chronicles as a whole. The 1818 version is solely historical and begins with the 14th century reign of King Nibvan Pad. It was not until the 1869 version known as Wat [okasis] Ko Koh (KK) – written during the reign of King Norodom – that the legendary part first appeared. It traces King Nibvan Pad’s royal lineage to its mythical origins in the 5th century BC.17 For this reason, this KK is considered to be the first complete version of the Chronicles. The etymology of the Khmer word for the Chronicles, bansavatara, describes their primary function. Bansavatara is a Sanskrit word composed of the roots vança (offspring or issue) and ava-tara (descendant or incarnation).18 Thus, bansavatara could be translated as “the lineage of (Khmer) kings.” The Chronicles present “the history of Cambodia” in the