The
Royal Barge procession and more
You
can see the full section and its layout on pages 4-5 of A Royal celebration.
The is wonderful material for Thai students and anyone else who is interested in one of Thailand's most impressive traditions. Best of all, it is very well written and easy to read. Most Thai students will have a good background in the the subjects covered, so I will not have to give them any help on the content. What I have done is recorded the full section in eight mp3 soundfiles and provided some vocabulary for each part.
There are three topics covered in this section: a short history of the royal barge, the Thais' close connections with their waterways for both daily life and military purposes, and boat songs. With the Royal Barge Procession only days away — it takes place on June 12 — you might want to start with the boat song section. That provides a wonderful description of the origin of the songs and the type of songs sung in a typical procession from start to finish.
The headphone symbol indicates a soundfile is available.
The Royal Barge: A short history
Part 1 era – a period of history
reserved for – kept specially for
monarchy – kings and queens; the system of government with a king, queen, emperor or empress as the ruler
slender – not wide; thin
oarsmen – men who row boats (an oar is the long pole with a wide flat blade that is used for rowing)
boarded – got on (a boat, an airplane, a bus, etc.)
throne – a special chair for a king or queen
elaborate – very complicated or complex because it has a lot of different parts
flotilla – a group of ships, usually military ships
accounts – reports; descriptions
survive – to continue to exist
Part 2 reign – the time a king or queen rules
promulgated – (of a new law) approved and made official
oracle – advice or information about the future
murals – pictures painted on walls
preserved – kept so that something remains as it is without changing or being destroyed
sacked – (of a town that has been captured) had its property destroyed or stolen
flotilla – a group of ships, usually military ships
Part 3deteriorated – fell into a poor condition; became worse in someway
coronation – the ceremony to crown a new king or queen
foundation – the act of starting, in this case, a
constitutional monarchy – a system of government with a king or queen at the head, but whose powers are limited by a constitution
revived – brought back into use
glories – wonderful and impressive things
A long love of water
Part 1 innumerable – too many of something to count
resembling – looking something like
stilts – supports used to keep a building above the ground
abundance – amount or quantity, especially a large amount or quantity
affinity with – a feeling of knowing and understanding someone or something
lounged around – sat in a relaxed way
paddling – moving through the water with a short pole with a flat end
founded – started; established
prime – major; most important
surrounded – something goes around it on all sides
access – the ability to go in
Part 2 oarsmen – men who row boats (an oar is the long pole with a wide flat blade that is used for rowing)
a range of – a variety of, i.e., different types of
warlord – the leader of a military group that controls are area of land
chronicles – records of a series of events; histories
tactics – methods
conflict – a war; a serious disagreement
came about – happened or was caused
accounts – reports; chronicles
fleets – groups of ships
reign – the time when a king or queen ruled a country
engagement – battle
terrain – the type of land, especially its physical features
rugged – uneven and often covered with rocks, making it difficult to move through
Part 3intelligence – information about an enemy
shallow – not deep
spying missions – attempts to gather information on an enemy by going into an area where the enemy is
alternated – did one thing followed by the other
versatile – able to be used for many different purposes
negotiated – successfully traveled across or around
accounts – reports
separate entity – an independent unit
reign – the time when a king or queen ruled a country
preserved – kept so that something remains as it is without changing or being destroyed
Boat songs
Part 1 improvised – not planned in advance
rhyme – having a very similar sound, e.g., cat – mat; sun – run
witty – clever and funny
rejoinders –quick, clever replies
sophisticated – clever and complicated; showing advanced knowledge
intellectuals – people who spend a lot of time studying and thinking about complicated ideas
virtuosic – having unusually great skill at doing something
flourished – developed in a strong, healthy way
tutored – trained
distinguished – successful; having a good reputation
immortal – lasting forever or for a very long time
fleet – a group of boats
oarsmen – men who row boats (an oar is the long pole with a wide flat blade that is used for rowing)
graceful – moving in a smooth, controlled and attractive way
devoted to – dealt with
sensitive – showing an awareness and understanding of people’s needs, problems or feelings
subtle – not obvious or noticeable; using indirect methods to achieve something
insatiable appetite – a hunger or need for something that is so great that it can never be satisfied
genre – a particular type of music, literature, painting, etc.
Part 2 chant – a word or group of words that is repeated over and over again
accompany – to go along or together with
oarsmen – men who row boats (an oar is the long pole with a wide flat blade that is used for rowing)
aligning – placing in a certain position in relation to something else
configuration – an arrangement of a group of things
interval – a period of time
destination – the place where someone or something is going
disembark – to get off (a boat, a bus, an airplane, etc.)
throne – a special chair for a king or queen
keep alert – to pay careful attention
pulse – a regular beat or sound
in unison – (of a something done by a group) done at exactly the same time
made mental notes – carefully tried to remember something
stamina – the physical or mental energy needed to do a tiring activity for a long time
