Krom Ngoy (born Ouk Ou; 1865 – 1936) was a Cambodian
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...
and a master of ''
khsae diev''. His fame spread to
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
at that time, not now and he was invited to sing for the then Thai King. He was well liked by the king and officials and was entitled "Phai-ros Loe Koern" in
Thai or "Phirum Pheasa Ou" in
Khmer which would mean one who is excellent in the use of language.
He generally included issues relevant to ways of life of the people then in his songs or poetic teachings. They include: working in the farm to earn a living, choosing a spouse,
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse < ...
and its causes, ignorance of the people, consequences of laziness and inactiveness, dominance of foreigners on Khmer people, the loss of
sovereignty
Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...
, and the decline of the Khmer culture and
literature
Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to inclu ...
.
He was called for an audience with and sing for the
King Sisowath of
Cambodia
Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...
and was given a title as “Neak Preah Phee-rom Pheasa Ou” unofficially translated as the elevated one who is excellent or perfect in the use of language. Ou was his name, but later on was given another name by the King to Ngoy in order not to duplicate with another royal official whose name was also Ou.
His educational poems were delivered in voice form and not recorded. He was later on invited by the then director of the
Buddhist Institute in
Phnom Penh, Ms Suzanne Karpeles, to sing his poems in a slow phase so that his wisdom could be written down for later generations. His poetic teachings have been published by the Buddhist Institute.
His wife’s name was In and he had six sons namely Doung, Cheng, Cha, Chen, Chong, and Chev. His 5th son, inherited his talent and was called Aja Chong. Aja refers to a teacher, a wise elder, the one who is knowledgeable in his subject, particularly literature or religion.
Ouk Ou died at the age of 71, because of
constipation
Constipation is a bowel dysfunction that makes bowel movements infrequent or hard to pass. The stool is often hard and dry. Other symptoms may include abdominal pain, bloating, and feeling as if one has not completely passed the bowel moveme ...
, on Friday, the 6th day of the waxing moon, 2479
Buddhist year or 1936 AD.
''Reference: Krom Ngoy’s Codes of Conduct, The Buddhist Institute, 1972''
1865 births
1936 deaths
Cambodian poets
People from Kandal province
20th-century Cambodian writers
19th-century Cambodian writers
{{Cambodia-writer-stub
Cambodian male writers