Ramakien - Prologue

Before the story begins

Among the list of pupils of Jean-Baptiste Lully, there once appeared—briefly—a name now almost entirely lost to history: Olivier de Cardinale.

According to scattered surviving records, he was not of distinguished origin, but rather a descendant of a declining noble family from southern France. Yet he displayed an uncommon sensitivity to harmony and texture, excelling particularly in supporting grand musical architectures with shadow-like lower voices. In the 1670s, he became a choirboy at the Royal Chapel, where he received training in chant and instrumental performance. Owing to his remarkable compositional talent, he was later admitted to the Académie Royale de Musique, studying under Lully himself.

In the early 1680s, Cardinale was employed within the French court’s musical institutions, participating in religious ceremonies and semi-private court productions. He assisted in rehearsing and revising large-scale sacred choral works on multiple occasions. During this period, he also frequented newly emerging theatrical spaces, contributing music for semi-public performances and experimental stage works. These theaters did not fully belong to official institutions; rather, they existed between court, aristocratic salons, and the rising public sphere, becoming fertile ground for new stylistic developments. It was precisely in this environment that Cardinale’s music began to diverge from orthodox French traditions.

While he maintained the clarity and structural order characteristic of the French style, he gradually introduced Italianate melodic fragments, emotional progression, and harmonic tension—experimenting with a hybrid idiom that had yet to be named. This approach intrigued some younger performers but quickly provoked dissatisfaction among conservative composers. In an anonymous letter, his music was criticized as “too fluid, lacking the necessary gravitas.” From 1683 onward, his position at court became increasingly precarious: major performances diminished, commissions were delayed or withdrawn. Though never formally dismissed, he fell from favor in silence.

In the mid-1680s, the arrival of the Siamese embassy in France became a rare turning point in Cardinale’s life.

During preparations for ceremonies and official documentation, he encountered Pan, a translator and literary assistant within the delegation. Pan’s role extended beyond linguistic mediation; he facilitated mutual understanding between cultures at the level of ritual and thought. In the complex and often undercurrent-laden environment of the court, his clarity and sincerity stood out.

Cardinale soon formed a close friendship with him.

In a brief yet intense period of collaboration, they translated the Thai epic Ramayana (later known in Thailand as Ramakien) into French and adapted it into a five-act tragédie lyrique. The work boldly incorporated traditional Siamese instruments and melodic materials, juxtaposed with the structural conventions of French stage music—an unprecedented form at the time.

The piece attracted considerable attention and even received a remark from Louis XIV:

“Stories of distant lands, brought to flourish within the art of France.”

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Libretto

[Phra Isuan’s Blessing]

In the solemn radiance of the celestial realm,
the Supreme Deity bestows an irrevocable blessing,
granting Nonthok a diamond finger of extraordinary power.

Nonthok:
Ah, great Supreme God,
ruler of the cosmos,
weaver of time, origin of all things.
I, Nonthok, kneel before your sacred throne,
imploring your grace to spare me from misery.

Gods, demons, spirits—
may their power never harm me,
may my glory endure unto eternity.

Gods, demons, spirits—
may their power never harm me,
may my glory endure unto eternity.

Phra Isuan:
You have endured ascetic trials and suffering,
your resolve burns like flame,
your plea shall be heard,
yet you must still act with caution.

Gods, demons, spirits shall not harm you,
yet the laws of heaven cannot be transgressed,
the order of mankind cannot be defied.

The divine decree is spoken, fate set in motion,
a blessing that seems merciful quietly plants the seed of turmoil.

—

[The Rise of Nonthok]

Nonthok:
Ah, what great grace!

I shall be invincible between heaven and earth,
no god nor demon shall rival me,

I, Nonthok—
I, Nonthok—

shall stand like a mountain,
stand firm,

shall stand like a mountain.

No one can hinder my will,
no one can destroy my dominion!

Having received divine favor, Nonthok gradually succumbs to the temptation of power,
turning the gift of the gods into a source of tyranny.

Heaven and earth fall into disorder, all beings tremble in fear;
his arrogance spreads through blood, the world shudders beneath shadow.

All Gods, All Beings:
Darkness shrouds this land,
the strong rule, the weak are punished,

Do even the gods fear his might?
Do even the stars dare not light our night?

Prayers turn into silent sighs,
when shall hope descend?

Light retreats to the edge of the firmament,
the strong rule, the weak are punished,

Yet, in the deepest despair,
there still burns an unextinguished flame,
faint yet resilient within our hearts.

Perhaps heaven remains silent,
yet justice shall come.

—

[The Divine Mission]

The resplendent hall gleams beneath lights and jewels.
Nonthok’s deadly diamond finger glints with a cold light.

The god Phra Narai, disguised as a dancer, enters gracefully,
his steps elegant, his gestures like drifting petals.

Nonthok is enchanted, compelled to imitate.

The dance quickens, the melody tightens,
Nonthok’s arrogance causes him to lose balance within the rhythm.

In an instant, the diamond finger points toward himself—
fate completes its revenge.

Phra Narai:
Justice finds its destined path,
the tyrant shall be destroyed by his own hand.

Nonthok, your end was long foretold—
the arrogance of this life
shall be repaid in the fire of rebirth.

Facing the greater order, Phra Narai resolutely accepts his mission,
answering the call, determined to be reborn as a human.

Divinity shall be concealed within mortal flesh,
bearing heavenly justice and redemption in human form.

Phra Isuan:
Phra Narai, great guardian,
you have fulfilled the sacred judgment.

The mortal realm returns to order,
all beings behold the dawn once more because of you.

All Gods:
Yet Nonthok’s soul has not perished,
he shall return again through reincarnation—

to become the ten-faced demon king, Thotsakan.

Narai, you shall once more face the trial of fate.