The Patriotic Thread

[Reincarnated Am]

xxx

[Tongue]

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have been all fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia. See if you can do it. Send them into the deserts without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will never laugh, sing or pray again. For when two Armenians meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a new Armenia."

William Saroyan

[Tongue]

By Now

Written for the 90th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:


By now we should have finished grieving.
By now we should have found some peace.
By now there should have been atonement and the pain slightly eased.
By now witnesses are almost gone.
And the lies about our bones believed.
By now they thought we would be forgotten.
and our blood dried to dust and blown.
By now they thought the smoke and fire
would be either greened or stone.
By now they thought our stolen children would have all turned into Turks.
By now they thought the aid money
sent back to America would do its work
in changing truth to lies:
that we were never here alive.
By now they thought the last survivors
and their children would be in graves.
They didn't count on our children's children even angrier, and more outraged.

Diana Der-Hovanessian

[Tongue]

We are few, but we are called Armenians

The English version of "menk kich enk, sakayn mez hay en asoom" on RealPlayer.

We are few but we are called Armenians by Barouyr Sevag.

[imported_anoush]

With My Fatherland
by Hovhannes Toumanian
Written in 1915.


From early days I turned my gaze towards the vast unknown.
In heart and mind I soar above the abyss, intent and lone.
Yet every time, O country of mine, my heart is torn again
When I reflect upon your past and present full of pain,
Upon the silent crowds of exiles-your devoted sons,
Upon the plight of ruined villages and burned and looted towns.
O Fatherland beloved mine,
In age-old sorrow you repine!

I see the ruthless enemy putting you to tortures,
I see your face so beautiful, your flowering, fields and orchards
Contorted with the agony of villages and towns;
I hear the shouts of those whose name I calmly can't pronounce,
Who turned our land into a vale of sorrow without bounds.
Till now in plaintive songs, my land, that sorrow still resounds.
O hillbound Fatherland of mine,
In age-old anguish you repine!

Your wounds are countless, O my land, yet still alive are you.
The cherished words we have waited for are already breaking through
Your lips compressed with sorrow; we believe that on the way
Destined to you by God and Fate-those words you'll find and say.
We wait with fervour for your call-anon, Anon we hear it;
You will become a promised land, free both, in flesh and spirit,

O lofty, sacred Fatherland,
O ever-cherished Fatherland!

We hope, we know the dawn will rise and put an end to dark,
And joy will pour like sunshine into every stricken heart.
The summits of your mountains from the clouds on us will gaze,
And for the first time Ararat will smile at dawn's first rays,
And a poet with lips undefiled by rage and condemnation,
Will glorify in glowing words your great rejuvenation.

O my reviving Fatherland,
Shine with new light, my Fatherland!

[Tongue]

In Memory Of The Million

IN MEMORY OF THE MILLION

Translated from Armenian by Daniel Janoyan
Glendale, April 27, 1995

The spirit of the April Genocide,*
Rustling and blustering
In its metallic language and iron words
Crying triumphantly,
"We are still alive …"

Through the depth of Der Zor**
The wells of the Euphrates,
The sandy oceans,
The valleys of the death,
The unquenched horizons of history,
And from thousand corners this will be heard,
"We are still alive … "

Through lost corpses,
Dried bloods,
Forgotten memories,
And broken thorns,
The disturbed April spirit
Whose million bones transformed into earth
Will scream loudly,
"We will be living eternally …. "

Under every planet,
And from one corner to another,
We will be multiplying in tens and thousands
Through all times to come.
Passing from generation to generation
We shall never die.
WE, indeed WE, have been fed and nourished
From the deserts of DER ZOR.
The diaspora today in its stubborn march
Will be marching along with the most prudent,
The happiest and the greatest Armenian battles,
"We shall multiply … "

Increasing in numbers,
We shall multiply,
One Armenian after another,
Not only to fill up,
To hold and to replace
The deserted vacant places of the April Genocide,
But with our new generation
Numbering tens of thousands
We shall increase immensely in numbers,
We shall reconstruct with our own bare arms
A huge garden of "GREATER and MINOR ARMENIA … "

[pathfinder]

AN ALTAR IN THE DESERT

The blazing sun spread its searing flames over the immense wilderness of Deir-el-Zor, the abominable graveyard of the Armenians, having been forced there by the genocidal Turks.
That appalling tent-city sheltered some forty thousand deportees, remnants of an immolated people. Who in that multitude would be spared?
The terrors of daily life and the tormented picture of the unknown morrow brought their daily agonies and obsessed the souls of this horrible mass.
As I watched with unutterable grief, no precise form fixed my attention. An aggregation of tents hanging in tufts sheltering vanished loves, burnt hopes and martyred faith made mountains of ashes.
Over the wreckage stood a priest. In his look, one could seen the endless sufferings of a martyred nation. Missal in hand, he was praying for the souls of the Armenian calvary. The gnawing words he uttered echoed the myriad sighs of pain-afflicted souls.
Some mourning grandmothers and skeletons of children standing in a circle of ghostly shadows were the only ones attending this service.
The breath of the monstrous Turk had blown out the candles, overthrown the altar and smashed the cross. Nevertheless, the Armenian soul kept on in Holy Communion, for the divine chant was in its veins and the mass in its blood. Now more than ever before shone the ardent Star of the Illuminator above Holy Etchmiadzin, symbol of the indestructible soul of Armenia.
"Dervoghormia", God have mercy on us!
This chant, woven with bitter tears, flooded the Altar ot the Desert and shook the denuded bones.
The course of life has sunk many of my paintings into oblivion, and alas! Sunlight bleached their glowing hues which I had extracted from my soul. For how long my passions and inspiration shall find idealized expression through lines and forms, I cannot say! Yet, the one picture that will ever live in my heart is the Altar of the Desert, powerfully impressive, triumphant, ineffaceable!

[imported_Hellektor]

What Others Thought of Armenia

Armenia is not just about genocide...
There were times, and that since at least 5000 years, that Armenia represented the holy land where gods dwelt, the land where mankind was born, the land of immortality, etc., etc.

Detail from a Biblical map of the Middle-East by the French cartographer Philippe Buache published in Paris in 1783.
Armenia is marked as "EDEN où était LE PARADIS TERRESTRE"

Check out the entire map.

From a Gospel published in London in 1634 where Armenia is depicted as the birthplace of all mankind.

[Reincarnated Am]

A Famous Armenian

xxx

[Hovik]

Paruyr Sevak (1924-1971)

Paruyr Sevak
(1924-1971)

One of the best poets of Armenian Literature was Paruyr (Sevak) Ghazaryan. He was born in 1924, January 24, at the village of Vedi, Armenia. Paruyr Sevak's father, Rafael Ghazari Soghomonyan (1892-1982) was an educated farmer married to Anahit Gaspari Soghomonyan, who was the mother of Paruyr Sevak. She was illiterate, village woman, who was very kind, hard working and religious housewife helping her husband with the fieldwork.

Their original family epitet contained the prepositional name, "Ter" which meant: lord or spiritual father and made a reference to the family's religious origin. The forefathers of those families who had that prepositional name have been known to be very educated people, who got their education at the Gevorgyan Seminary of Echmiadzin (the world headquarter of Armenian church).

Therefore, people who knew Paruyr Sevak's family were expecting him to have preserved the trait of a "prophet", which he have later evolved in a literary sense of the word, becoming a prophetic spokesperson of Armenian people in their struggle for preserving their ancient history and very rich cultural heritage. Universal humanism and passion toward his native culture bounded his poems.

Sevak's love for education helped him to get accepted into secondary school at age 6 (while legal age established by government for kids to attend a secondary school was 7). Motivated with passion for learning, Paruyr Sevak graduated 10th grade with honors.

His main personal characteristics that got developed as he grew were honesty, straight forwardness, dignity, integrity and clarity of thoughts. He loved reading, so he managed to read almost all of the books he came across and was able to find in the village's libraries.

Therefore,as a result, he developed the urge of becoming a writer. His first poem that he ever wrote was devoted to the character in Turgeneyev's (Russian writer) novel "First Love" called, Zinaida.

As a student of humanities at the Yerevan's State University, Paruyr Sevak comes across the banned books and poems written by Egishe Charents, which proves him that he was no match to existing Armenian poets,so he starts to think of his poetic inferiority and possibility of changing his career goals.

Furthermore,understanding that poetry must come from within the spiritual depths of the poet, and not from the surrounding environment, Paruyr Sevak decides to quit poetry and stir toward becoming a specialist of Armenian literature and grammar.

However,in 1941-1942, unable to contain his urge for poetry, Paruyr Sevak writes several volumes of poetry called Requiem, Sonnetner (Sonneteer), Agothkner (Prayers) and a very long poem called Lusin (Moon). In 1942, his poems called: Ankhoragir (without thoughts), Pntrumner(searches), and Zghjum (regret); Paterazmi Dashtin Zohvatsnerin (to the martyrs of the battlefield) gets published in the Soviet Armenian Literature newspaper, issues number 7 & 8.

The editor of the newspaper, R. Zoryan gives the nickname to Paruyr Ghazaryan, Sevak. Since then, Paruyr Ghazaryan was known as Paruyr Sevak. But Sevak's fame didn't last long. Due to the nationalistic nature of the poems by Paruyr Sevak, his senior colleges criticized the 18 year old boy, getting his poetry banned from publishing in the press, and having the editor of the newspaper, R.Zoryan fired from his job by the decree of Armenian communist gov't. Paruyr Sevak's poetry doesn't get published until later days of 1948.

In 1945, Paruyr Sevak graduates from university, and enters into graduate studies at the M. Abeghiyan Institute of Language and Literature,where he pursues a degree in ancient Armenian literature. His graduate thesis was called:"Assumed Shapuh Bagratuni (ancient Armenian poet) and the later cultural renaissance in Armenia".

After graduating the institute and with his doctorate degree in ancient Armenian literature,the working career of Paruyr Sevak begins. Between 1945-1946 he becomes the youth editor of Armenian literary journal called "Avangard", between 1946-1947 he becomes the press deputy on international cultural relations at the Ministry of Culture and Communication of Armenia, and between 1949-1951 he becomes the chief editor of Armenian literary journal, called "Grakan Tert" (literary newspaper).

In 1947 he participates in cultural conferences of young writers and poets held in Moscow, and other literary conferences organize in Armenia,where he faces his critiques and presents more of his poems. Since 1949, he starts to give lectures at colleges and universities of Armenian Republic, and grows to become one of the most famous and modern Armenian poets in the world.

Paruyr Sevak have written many poems, novels and stories, yet very few were published in Armenia and distributed through out the Soviet Union. In 1948, first book of Paruyr Sevak, called "Anmahnere Hramayum en (The Immortals Command) was published in Yerevan, with 3 000 copies in two volumes. His book conveyed lots of honesty, integrity and purity of human thought. His first 'battle' against accepted cultural corruption was started and won by Sevak.

His first book was followed by coming to light of his second book, written between 1947-1952, but published in 1953, with 5 000 copies divided into 5 volumes, comprising of 2 sections each. It was called "Anhasht Mtrmutiyun" (not peaceful friendship), which expressed the thoughts of human mind, coming from the depths of person's individuality and relation of his micro-cosmic world with the macro-cosmic world of the society and collective consciousness.

As a result, his book was widely criticized, which forced him to leave Erevan, Armenia and move to Moscow, Russia for further advancement of his studies there. Bitter at his critics, before departure Sevak said: "I am glad that Soviet Union is not limited to Armenian Writer's Union and Armenian Republic".

In 1951, arriving to Moscow, he continues his studied at the M. Gorky's Institute of Literature and Poetry, which he graduates in 1956 with highest honors. Within the same time-table, a new book written by him called "Siro hanapar"(Love Rout), gets published in 1954, in Moscow,with 3 000 copies in 3 volumes with 2 sections each.

Many written works by Paruyr Sevak on medieval Armenian literature and his giants like Sayat Nova did not get published. He also wrote numerous studies about other famous Armenian noble writers like Mesrop Mashtots, Naregatsi, Peshiktashlian, Duryan, Varushan, Charents and Toumanyan.

Between 1972-1976, the number of written and published works by Paruyr Sevak tops 50,000. Him and Egishe Charents become some of the few top class Armenian writers/poets in the post World War-2 period of Armenia. They shaped the literary spirit of Armenian writers who emerged during their life span.

The new touch brought into light of Armenian literature by Paruyr Sevak reflected the changing culture in the face of newly emerging and re-emerging concepts, ideas, spiritual values an social norms, undergoing within the Armenian people during that time period.

The ideas that governed Paruyr Sevak were expressed in his following poem:

"I promise not to be a tax collector, but son of
the difficult century, just like it is and the
way I am, stay loyal to it. But, here it is, I
promise to waste time or play, rather than become
an agitator of lethal ideology".

In 1971, June 17, the tragic and traitorous car accident killed the famous poet, who until his death, stayed loyal to his principles of Truth, Integrity, Dignity, Loyalty and Humanism, never ending his admiration of his native culture and difficult history of his fellow people.

His significant contributions to Armenian culture and betterment of Armenian literature was unique in its own way, which shaped the hearts and minds of many Armenian generations who were there with him, as well of those who came later, after his martyrdom.

http://www.littlearmenia.com/html/poetry/poet.asp?id=4