Armenian Legends and Poems 7

Armenian Legends and Poems 7

THE SUN WENT DOWN

 

By AVETIS ISAHAKIAN

 

 

The sun went down behind the hill,

No light was on the lea,

The fowls and birds slept calm and still,

But sleep came not to me.

 

The moon peeped in beneath the eaves,

The Balance rose on high,

The fresh night-wind that stirred the leaves

Spoke to the starry sky.

 

Ah, gentle winds and stars of light,

Where is my love to-night?

Ye painted eyes of heaven so bright,—

Saw you my love to-night?

 

Day dawned,—unbolted was our door:—

The snowflakes whirled like foam,

’Tis cloud and storm, the wild winds roar—

Why comes my love not home?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BIRTHDAY SONG

 

By NAHABED KOUCHAK

 

 

On the morning of thy birth

We were glad but thou wert wailing,

See that when thou leav’st the earth

Thou art glad and we bewailing.

 

Let me speak unto thy heart,—

List if thou hast understanding;

Keep thyself from fools apart,

All their flatteries withstanding.

 

For the fool, like fire and heat,

Scorcheth everything, and burneth;

But the wise, like water sweet,

Deserts into gardens turneth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MORNING

 

By HAROUTUNE TOUMANIAN

 

 

Day dawned. Bright tongues of scarlet flame

Shot up into the sky,

The livid heav’ns blushed, and became

A sea of crimson dye.

 

The sun his fiery beams unrolled

Like strands of coloured thread;

Embroidered all the clouds with gold,

And blue, and green, and red.

 

Then o’er the mountain, full in view,

Nature’s great Monarch rose:

And from his tent of Royal blue

Hurled darts upon his foes.

 

Eternal foe of Gloom and Night,

On high he raised his arm;

His shield of gold, all shining bright,

Sheltered the world from harm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE FOUNDING OF VAN

 

From the History of Armenia, by

 

MOSES OF KHORENE

 

 

And after these things Semiramis, having remained in the plain called

Aïrarat after Ara, went into the hill country towards the south. For

it was summer time and she wished to disport herself in the valleys and

the flowery plains. And seeing the beauty of the land and the purity of

the air, the clearness of the fountains and the murmuring of the

gliding rivers, she said, “It is needful that we build for ourselves

a city and palaces in this balmy clime and beautiful country, by the

side of these pure waters; so that we may spend the fourth part of the

year, which is the summer season, with enjoyment in the land of

Armenia; and the three cool seasons of the year we will spend in

Nineveh.”

 

And passing over many places she came to the eastern shore of the salt

lake. And on the shore of the lake she saw a long hill lying towards

the setting sun. And south of the hill was a wide valley like unto a

plain, which came down from the eastern flank of the hill unto the

shore of the lake, spacious and of goodly shape. And the rills of sweet

water descending from the mountains ran down the ravines, and meeting

around the spurs of the hills they hastened to join the river. And

there were not a few buildings erected in the valley on the right and

left banks of the waters. And she selected a small hill on the eastern

side.

 

After gazing thence for a while that evil and hard-hearted woman

Semiramis commanded that twelve thousand unskilled workmen and six

thousand of her chosen men skilled in all manner of wood, stone,

copper, and iron work should be brought from Assyria and all other

lands to the desired place. And it was done according to her command.

And immediately a great multitude of diverse workmen were brought, and

of wise and gifted workers in all the arts. And she commanded first to

make the dyke of the river, of boulders and great rocks cemented

together with clay, of great width and height; the which it is said

remains firm until this day, so that in the clefts of these dykes

pirates and exiles do fortify themselves as in the caves of the

mountains, none being able to wrench even one stone from the dyke. And

when one looked upon the cement it appeared like a torrent of fat. Thus

having taken the dyke round over much ground she brought it unto the

intended site of the city. There she commanded the multitude of the

workers to be divided into diverse sections, placing over each section

a chosen master of the arts. And under such oppression did she keep

them that after a few years the wondrous rampart with its gates of

wrought copper was completed. And she made beautiful buildings in the

city, and palaces of different stones decorated with colours, two

stories and three stories high. For each one she did build

summer-houses, separating the various quarters of the town from each

other by beautiful streets. She built also wondrous baths in the midst

of the city for the use of the people, and divided the water passing

through the town into two parts, one for watering the fragrant orchards

and flower-gardens, and the other for the drinking water of the city

and its surroundings. On the east, north, and south of the city she

built pleasure houses, and planted orchards with leafy trees that bore

diverse kinds of fruit and foliage; she also planted many vines. The

whole city she surrounded with stately ramparts, and caused great

multitudes to dwell therein.

 

But concerning the far end of the city, and the miraculous works that

were done there, it surpasseth the power of a man to tell, neither can

they be understood by man. For there, surrounded by fortifications, she

did construct the Royal Palace, in great mystery. For the entrances

were hard, and the passages leading out of it like those of hell.

Concerning the manner of its making we have never read a true

description, neither do we propose to weave it into our history; but we

only say that of all royal works it is, as we have heard, esteemed the

first and greatest. And on the west side of the rock—whereon no man

can now make any impression, even with iron—in this adamantine

substance she constructed many temples, bed-chambers, and

treasure-houses; and great trenches, so that none knoweth for what

manner of things she made these marvellous preparations. And smoothing

the face of the rock as one would smooth wax with a pen, she wrote many

inscriptions thereon; so that even to look at it causeth a man to be

amazed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I HAVE A WORD I FAIN WOULD SAY

 

By SAYAT NOVA

 

 

I have a word I fain would say—list patiently, Light of my Eyes;

A ceaseless longing fills my heart thy face to see, Light of my Eyes.

How have I sinned that thou shouldst thus offended be, Light of my Eyes?

The world is sated with the world,—I starve for thee, Light of my Eyes.

 

A sea of blood is in my heart, and tears forever fill my eyes;

No salve can heal my wound, the cure in my beloved’s presence lies.

All sick of love I lay, and watched her pathway with my longing eyes;

When I was dead she came; ’twas but the layer-out who heard her sighs.

 

Fair springtime now is fully here, the meadows gay with leaf and flower;

The hill-sides strewn with violets, the nightingale sent to the bower.

Bu