Mhom Ped Sawan

Year 2375 in the Buddhist Era (1832 AD) in the reign of King Rama III of Rattanakosin. Lady Kham and Lady Sood were concubines of the Prince of the Front Palace (viceroy) of Siam. Their mutual feelings went beyond what people at the time would call friends. They chose to keep their feelings secret, and remain aloof and distant, despite rumors among other concubines of their sapphic love – an act forbidden by the Palace Law. After the death of the viceroy, Sood was taken into service by Princess Wilas – Prince Sangh’s elder sister. Kham, on the other hand, was not taken in by anyone, so she returned to her hometown at Amphawa. There, Kham encountered many stories, not unlike the headaches Sood had to deal with within the palace walls. The story of their long-standing relationship became the inspiration for the poem Mom Ped Sawan (The Divine Lady Ped).