It was about this time that the youthful poet fell in love with one of the ladies of the palace whose name was Chan, a woman who had considerable influence on his work. But in those days it was a heinous offence to love one of the palace ladies, and as a consequence of his romantic folly, both he and his mistress were put in prison. On their release in 1806, Suthorn Phu left the capital, accompanied by two disciples, to pay a visit to his father whom he had not seen since he was a little boy. On his way, he wrote his first great poem Nirat Muang Klaeng, in which he described the journey and addressed many tender lines to his lady love.