Tum Teav is the tragic love story of a talented novice monk named Tum and a beautiful adolescent girl named Teav. Well-known throughout Cambodia since at least the middle of the 19th century, there are numerous versions of the story in every major culture. This monograph contains a translation by George Chigas of the Venerable Botumthera Som's version of the poem. Chigas also examines the controversy over the poem's authorship and its interpretation by literary scholars and performers in terms of Buddhism and traditional codes of conduct, abuse of power, and notions of justice.