Hovhannes»Tumanian, 1916
Translated by»
Tatul Sonentz
And I stood up, as our ancient custom dictates,
To summon peace for my butchered kinsmen’s souls,
For hamlet and town, hill and dale from sea to sea,
Cut down in thousands, demolished and lifeless…
In the crimson flames of»Armenia’s inferno, I blazed,
Flaming, once more, in the heart of that cold, serene sky,
One by one, I lit the towering candles of»Armenia’s peaks,
Masis and Ara, Sipan and Srmants, Nemrut, Tangureq,
And the Holy Lantern on Aragatz, like a distant sun
Overhead, remote, apart, burning ever bright…
Like Masis itself, I stood glaring, alone and firm
Calling on the doomed souls scattered beyond time,
Beyond»Mesopotamia,»Assyria, the Sea of the Armens,
Beyond»Hellespont, beyond the raging shores of the»Pontus…
“Rest in peace, orphans…»sorrow rings hollow, at best…
Man, the cannibal, shall long remain a savage beast…”
As raging»Euphrates»and roaring»Tigris, on my right and left,
Rushed forth in gaping chasms, chanting Psalms in shrill tones,
Clouds arose from the massive censer of the Dzirav gorge,
Starting at the Tzaghkants heights of the Armenian Chain,
In fragrant wisps, they moved to far distant points,
To sprinkle pearls, to spread flower scents as incense,
Beyond»Mesopotamia,»Assyria, and the sea of the Armens,
Beyond»Hellespont, beyond the raging shores of the»Pontus…
“Rest in peace, my orphans…»sorrow rings hollow, at best…
Man, the cannibal, shall long remain a savage beast…”
The post
Poem: Requiem appeared first on
Armenian Weekly.
Hovhannes»Tumanian, 1916 Translated by»Tatul Sonentz And I stood up, as our ancient custom dictates, To summon peace for my butchered kinsmen’s souls, For hamlet and town, hill and dale from sea to sea, Cut down in thousands, demolished and lifeless… In the crimson flames of»Armenia’s inferno, I blazed, Flaming, once more, in the heart of that cold, serene sky, One by one, I lit the towering candles of»Armenia’s peaks, Masis and Ara, Sipan and Srmants, Nemrut, Tangureq, And the Holy Lantern on Aragatz, like a distant sun Overhead, remote, apart, burning ever bright… Like Masis itself, I stood glaring, alone and firm Calling on the doomed souls scattered beyond time, Beyond»Mesopotamia,»Assyria, the Sea of the Armens, Beyond»Hellespont, beyond the raging shores of the»Pontus… “Rest in peace, orphans…»sorrow rings hollow, at best… Man, the cannibal, shall long remain a savage beast…” As raging»Euphrates»and roaring»Tigris, on my right and left, Rushed forth in gaping chasms, chanting Psalms in shrill tones, Clouds arose from the massive censer of the Dzirav gorge, Starting at the Tzaghkants heights of the Armenian Chain, In fragrant wisps, they moved to far distant points, To sprinkle pearls, to spread flower scents as incense, Beyond»Mesopotamia,»Assyria, and the sea of [...]
The post
Poem: Requiem appeared first on
Armenian Weekly.
Hovhannes»Tumanian, 1916 Translated by»Tatul Sonentz And I stood up, as our ancient custom dictates, To summon peace for my butchered kinsmen’s souls, For hamlet and town, hill and dale from sea to sea, Cut down in thousands, demolished and lifeless… In the crimson flames of»Armenia’s inferno, I blazed, Flaming, once more, in the heart of that cold, serene sky, One by one, I lit the towering candles of»Armenia’s peaks, Masis and Ara, Sipan and Srmants, Nemrut, Tangureq, And the Holy Lantern on Aragatz, like a distant sun Overhead, remote, apart, burning ever bright… Like Masis itself, I stood glaring, alone and firm Calling on the doomed souls scattered beyond time, Beyond»Mesopotamia,»Assyria, the Sea of the Armens, Beyond»Hellespont, beyond the raging shores of the»Pontus… “Rest in peace, orphans…»sorrow rings hollow, at best… Man, the cannibal, shall long remain a savage beast…” As raging»Euphrates»and roaring»Tigris, on my right and left, Rushed forth in gaping chasms, chanting Psalms in shrill tones, Clouds arose from the massive censer of the Dzirav gorge, Starting at the Tzaghkants heights of the Armenian Chain, In fragrant wisps, they moved to far distant points, To sprinkle pearls, to spread flower scents as incense, Beyond»Mesopotamia,»Assyria, and the sea of [...]
The post
Poem: Requiem appeared first on
Armenian Weekly.
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