Poems

[anileve]

I Am Not a Painter

but if I could just paint

my eyes on canvas

and name my painting "Sadness"

I'd be famous.


TANYA HOVANESSIAN, a young Armenian poet, died in the 1988 earthquake

[anileve]

Check out this site http://www.armenianpoets.com some of the elements are pretty good. The author has obviously spent a huge amount of time on this.

Tell me what you think.

[hyeclass]

YA VIVA CASTRO

[xBaron Dants]

Very well-made site (armenianpoets.com) I will look at it more in-depth some other day, as I am waaaaay too tired today, but I must asy that QUALITY armenian websites are hard to find. Hats off to the author.

Here's an interesting story about Shiraz. When my dad was studying at the Yerevan Polytechnic around 30 years ago, he saw the author as he was walking down a street with his friend one night. My dad and his friend were quick to greet him "Parev yeghpayr Shiraz, vonts ek" yevayln, but Shiraz obviously drunk, called them "Aghdod tashnagtsagan lrdesner" and started cursing them, and even tried to spit at my dad and his friend. That's when my dad started screaming, telling him that as much as we respect you, you should realy go home,yevayln.

Well, I found the story interesting when my dad told me.

[anileve]

Very well-made site (armenianpoets.com) I will look at it more in-depth some other day, as I am waaaaay too tired today, but I must asy that QUALITY armenian websites are hard to find. Hats off to the author.

Here's an interesting story about Shiraz. When my dad was studying at the Yerevan Polytechnic around 30 years ago, he saw the author as he was walking down a street with his friend one night. My dad and his friend were quick to greet him "Parev yeghpayr Shiraz, vonts ek" yevayln, but Shiraz obviously drunk, called them "Aghdod tashnagtsagan lrdesner" and started cursing them, and even tried to spit at my dad and his friend. That's when my dad started screaming, telling him that as much as we respect you, you should realy go home,yevayln.

Well, I found the story interesting when my dad told me.

Well, I found the story interesting when my dad told me.[/quote]

It's true that it's hard to find quality Armenian websites. This one seems to measure up, however it just might be a bit more high tech for something such as just wanting to read poetry this takes a while loading through all of the extensive flash effects. But overall it's a job well done.

The story about Shiraz is indeed interesting, except that I didn't quite comprehend what you wrote in Armenian, I'll tell ya, you western Armos have a funny way of expressing yourself in Armenian, can you translate that to the normal (Eastern) Armenian?

It is quite bitter, but many distinguished Hayer are a bit snobby especially towards their kind. I think that is why there is always that rivalry between Eastern and Western Armenians.

I find that:

1) Eastern Armenians say that Western Armenians corrupt the original Armenian and half of their vocabulary is Turkish in addition they are obnoxiously snobby.

2) Western Armenians say that Eastern Armenians corrupt the original Armenian and half of their vocabulary is Russian anyway; in addition they are obnoxiously loud and low class.

It is sadly funny...the ridiculous preconception

[xBaron Dants]

Bah, I find people's attitudes to be grossly exaggerated. In my point of view, all eastern armenians should have read Baronian, and all western armenians should have read Tumanyan, so nobody has any excuses. It is true that many western armenians use too many turkish words, but many (like my dad) are utterly brilliant

In Yerevan this summer, I expressed myself fairly well in eastern armenian, and one soldier-turned-friend even thought I was a Yerevantsi who had moved to LA, so I guess I'm alright. Of course, since I don't have an opportunity to practice it daily, I am more mistake-prone in eastern. Oh well, I will only get better.

So, the conversation was:
Dad - Barev enker Shiraz, vonts ek?
Shiraz - Gnatsek esdeghits, geghdod dashnak lrtesner!

Is that any better? ops:

[anileve]

Thanks much better, now I can express my emotions fully... Haryur ankam amot, shnork chuni! I no longer shall hold him in such high esteem.

It is rare that you come across fathers of your father's caliber, those that lived in Turkish side. It is commonly said that majority of aristocracy lived in Turkey. The Ottoman held European culture in very high standings at the time; they even enforced French as a second language. Many Armenian refugees that fled to other parts of the world, and I am referring to the older generation, still speak French. I would love to meet some of them; unfortunately I was not lucky enough to come across any.

You are right about the cross readings I even noticed that Eastern and W. Armenians tend to gather in different churches or if they do attend the same they are usually seen in separate groups and corners. Ay VAY!

[xBaron Dants]

Well, my father is born in Syria, and lived and studied in Yerevan for 5 years or so. To my knowledge, he's never been to Turkey. But I know fo many people who haven't even been to Armenia yet and who have a veeeeeery impreesive vocabulary. I will admit that it is much rarer to find them in Bolsahays.

Please, do not hold that story against Shiraz, as he was obviously drunk (just to prove that: my dad never was, nor will he ever be a dashnak) and will always be one of the most-loved authors we will ever have. Even my dad has forgiven him

I do think that friction between Hayastantsi/voch Hayastantsi is greater in California than it is anywhere else, or at least Montreal. Here, we seem to get along alright

[dstyle]

About the hayasdanzi and other armenians in california, i dont think its the youth as much anymore, there is still the i guess problems, but i think with the youth looking forward it would be great for our people.