Letter to Yerevan (Part V)
The Armenian Weekly is periodically publishing the English translation of Andranik Tzarukian’s epic 1945 poem ‘Tught ar Yerevan’ (‘Letter to Yerevan’).
And still, from the orchards of letters,
Hauling hell instead of dreams,
Instead of harp, trumpet of copper,
Singing of blood, horror, massacre,
Our blessed bards:
Tempestuous, frantic Siamanto,
And forlorn, fragrant, mellow Varuzhan,
Their labor leftovers of hounds?
Their oracular, visionary songs,
Mere howls of dogs?
Oh, now, now,
Their restless spirit may
Abruptly rise up, facing the skies
Like a giant wounded hound,
Opening its woeful heart to the stars
And, pain-ridden, stand up erect
And eject an endless howl…
Oh, now, now,
From the crimson deserts of carnage
A rigid, unblinking skeleton may
Rise and soar starwards
Reaching the skies
And pour forth a petrifying oratorio
On the Milky Way’s keys…
Oh, now, now,
Earth’s heart may crack and tear,
Earthquakes may rumble,
And from the depths of Armenia’s realm,
As an awesome mirage of revelation,
Suddenly rush forth
An endless legion of Dashnak dogs…
Oh, now, now,
It is even possible,
For a knifed and naked body
To snatch the unbridled winds’ clarion,
And to petrified humanity’s stone heart
Bellow with the blunt breath of merciless curse,
Thundering again, as an ultimate call,
The deep sorrow of its betrayed soul…
Men may dislodge mountains—
But who was ever able to
Falsify the verdict of the times,
And draw a curtain over the blue skies
And the shining star of gallantry?
***
On the occasion of the 99th anniversary of the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia (1918-1920), the Armenian Weekly announced that it will be periodically publishing the English translation of Andranik Tzarukian’s epic 1945 poem “Tught ar Yerevan” (“Letter to Yerevan”).
The translation, which will be published in parts and culminate on the Centennial of the First Republic of Armenia, is a collaborative effort between the editor of the Armenian Weekly Rupen Janbazian and former editor of the Armenian Review and former director of the ARF and First Republic of Armenia Archives Tatul Sonentz-Papazian.
(Read parts I , II, III, and IV)
Source: Armenian Weekly
Link: Letter to Yerevan (Part V)