Tham, Soso, 1873-1940,

Tales of darkness and light Soso Tham's The old days of the Khasis / [electronic resource] : Old days of the Khasis Soso Tham's The old days of the Khasis translated by Janet Hujon. - 1 online resource (100 pages) : 3 colour illustrations. - World oral literature series volume 9 2054-362X ; . - World oral literature series ; v. 9. .

Available through Open Book Publishers. With 10 embedded audio tracks.

Includes bibliography (unnumbered page 85).

Preface / Mark Turin -- Acknowledgements -- 1. Introduction -- 2. A Short Biographical Note -- 3. Khasi Folktales About Darkness and Light -- 4. Ki Symboh Ksiar (Grains of Gold) -- 5. Ka Persyntiew (The Flower Garden) -- 6. Pyrthei Mariang (The Natural World) -- 7. U Lyoh (The Cloud) -- 8. U Rngiew (The Dark One) -- 9. U Simpyllieng (The Rainbow) -- 10. Ka Ļing I Mei (Home) -- 11. Ka Meirilung (Gentle Motherland) -- 12. Lum Lamare (Lamare Peak) -- 13. Ka Aļom Ksiar (Season of Gold) -- Bibliography.

Open access resource providing free access.

"Soso Tham (1873-1940), the acknowledged poet laureate of the Khasis of northeastern India, was one of the first writers to give written poetic form to the rich oral tradition of his people. Poet of landscape, myth and memory, Soso Tham paid rich and poignant tribute to his tribe in his masterpiece The Old Days of the Khasis. Janet Hujon's vibrant new translation presents the English reader with Tham's long poem, which keeps a rich cultural tradition of the Khasi people alive through its retelling of old narratives and acts as a cultural signpost for their literary identity. This book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Indian literature and culture and in the interplay between oral traditions and written literary forms. This edition includes: English translation ; Critical apparatus ; Embedded audio recordings of the original poem."--Publisher's website.


Mode of access: World Wide Web.


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). For more detailed information consult the publisher's website.


Texts of poems translated from the Khasi.

9781783744701 (pdf) 9781783744718 (epub) 9781783744725 (mobi)

2054-362X (Online)


Tham, Soso, 1873-1940 --Criticism and interpretation.


Khasi (Indic people) in literature.
Khasi (Indic people)--Folklore--Poetry.
Khasi (Indic people)--Social life and customs.--India--Meghalaya
Khasi poetry--Translations into English.