Komitas vartabed

[Louise Kiffer]

A beautiful poem of Komitas

 

ՆՈճԻՆԵՐՆ ՈՒ ՄԱՅՐԻՆԵՐ Մուգ նոճիներ միգապար՝ Ճամփի վերև սիգապար՝ Դեպի երկինք հրազայր, Կանաչ հուսով սրածայր, Ճյուղերն ի վեր կոնավոր՝ Կարծես լինին տոնավոր։ Կուսատերև մայրիներ՝ Հուսաբեղուն այրիներ, Փշերն աչքին պիշելով՝ Արև օրեր հիշելով, Քարերի ծոց պատառել Ամպերի գոգ կատարել։ Շնորհակալ եմ......խոսքերին կյանք տալու համար....

 

It has been put in youtube and nobody undestands the word.

 

I have tried to translate in French but I have not understood all the words.

I just understood the symbol and meaning of the poem

Entitled : cypress and cedars :

Komitas, remembering ancient sunny days, describes

those trees celebrating proudly the hope of better days.

 

Is that right ?

 

Louise

[Arpa]

Thank you Louise for a wonderful poem. Sadly, we know so little about tha Genius of Komitas. Iget foggy/Միգապատ every time I see him.

----

ՆՈճԻՆԵՐՆ ՈՒ ՄԱՅՐԻՆԵՐ

 

Ճամփի վերև սիգապար՝

Դեպի երկինք հրազայր,

Կանաչ հուսով սրածայր,

Ճյուղերն ի վեր կոնավոր՝

Կարծես լինին տոնավոր:

Կուսատերև մայրիներ՝

Հուսաբեղուն այրիներ,

Փշերն աչքին պիշելով՝

Արև օրեր յիշելով,

Քարերի ծոց պատառել

Ամպերի գոգ կատարել:

----

This a wonderful verbal painting of a landscape. I dare not translate it since I cannot pay tribute to the idyllic picture. Even though I knew most of the words I did look up just in case. I also amended some of the spellings like in ՏՕՆ/ տոն. Վ v Ւ.

Many of the words are used in a poetic license for rhyming in rhyme’s sake.

I also rearranged the lines of the poem.

-----

ՆՈճԻ=Cypress

ՄԱՅՐԻ=Cedar The root word is ՄԱՅՐ

Սիգապար՝=from ՍԷԳ, proud , exalted .

Remember that ՊԱՐ means circle as in շուրջ պար/shourj PAR/circle dance.

Մուգ=dark, dim A variation of Մ

Ճամփի վերև սիգապար՝ ԻԳ

Միգապար=shrouded in mist, foggy՝

Հուս=a variation of ՈՒՍ , shoulder

Սրածայր=pointed

Կոնաւոր=conical՝

Տօնաւոր=festive

Կուսատերև =virginal leaf՝

Հուսաբեղուն=ample shouldered, chest?

Այրիներ=widows

Փշերն =thorns

Պիշելով=stare

Ծոց =bosom

Գոգ =lap as in ԳՈԳՆՈՑ apron

Edited May 10, 2012 by Arpa

[Louise Kiffer]

Thank you very much. It will be difficult to translate in French but I will try.

 

I found another song of Komitas Vartabed:

asor urpat e bas e

te e e ey zinq zinq e te e djan...

Do you know it ? I can sing it...

[Arpa]

Thank you very much. It will be difficult to translate in French but I will try.

 

I found another song of Komitas Vartabed:

asor urpat e bas e

te e e ey zinq zinq e te e djan...

Do you know it ? I can sing it...

Yes I know tht song. See #2 here;

 

http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=39494

[Louise Kiffer]

Where is Komitas Vartabed in this forum, I did not find him in music, or literature, or poems ?

 

I have many songs from him.

[Arpa]

Where is Komitas Vartabed in this forum, I did not find him in music, or literature, or poems ?

 

I have many songs from him.

Cher Louise, je sens votre douleur, I feel your pain, tsav@d tanem ՑԱՒԸԴ ՏԱՆԵՄ

You and I are "beating water/jour enq dzedzoum".**

Dear Louise, I have written about Komitas under various categories, please search and see, and see how many responses we have (NOT) received. Sdly, I mean SADLY, we know so little about Komitas the Man. Both you and I seem to speak about the Real rmenian culture. We seem to bez whipping a dead horse, satkats esh.while our better writers are at this topic. See below the so called "imptession of the day" Are they talking about the time I woke up, went to the bathroom to deposit my "wisdom"?'

Off topic “topik”

You and everyome else may have noticed that I write less and less sporadically, and even at that, I avoid serious discussions even less. Since we have been talking about this subject and Komitas in particular, see how many of our friends have chimed in, while in the meantime the following "highly intellectual and cultural" debate by our senior members, veterans, nobility, mods and ads is going on…..

http://hyeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=493&pid=292331&st=6660entry292331

**The meaning of “beating water/jour enq dzedzoum/ Ջուր ենք ծեծում”

A long time ago, we as children were playing “house”. I was the daddy and my cousin was the mommy, the ret of siblings and cousins were the children. Among the many pretend foods we were preparing was ice-cream. We poured the milk in an bowl, added sugar and ….ICE. we stirred it and stirred it, no ice-cream. On the contrary, the more we stirred the thinner and watery the mixture became as the ice melted and diluted the mixture, it did not become ice cream or even matsun. This may best illustrate the adage of “beating water/ջուր ծեծել”

In the same manner, the more we stir, the more we talk about these subjects the (more) thinner it gets.

Edited May 15, 2012 by Arpa

[Louise Kiffer]

We have his songs. And his life. And I have read the visits that Chavarche Missakian, the fondator or the armenian newspaper "Haratch"

made to Komitas Vartabed when he was in the hospital in Paris. He could not write songs any more, but he could understand what the people said around him. Ch. Missakian was not alone to visit Komitas Vartabed, he had many people who loved him, and visited him.

Ch. Missakian went to see him several times and he wrote articles about him.

And one day there was a friend who had been arrested on april 24th together with Komitas Vartabed, and he told how they had been from one place to another, and in the evening, as they had to enter a "han" a Turk hold suddenly a yutagan above his head, Komitas was much afraid, and from

that day, he was not the same as before. He had been much afraid.

If I find the article, I'll translate in English for you; as he told the last day of Komitas, too.

[Yervant1]

Ramgavar Media http://www.ramgavar.org/templates/yousimplicity/images/arrow.png Ramgavar Mamoul http://www.ramgavar.org/templates/yousimplicity/images/arrow.png Khatchatur I. Pilikian - The Centuries Old Armenian Epic Song - MOGKATS MIRZA

 

 

Tuesday, 18 December 2012 00:00

http://www.ramgavar.org/templates/yousimplicity/images/emailButton.pnghttp://www.ramgavar.org/templates/yousimplicity/images/printButton.png

 

 

Remembering Komitas Vardapet

The Centuries Old Armenian Epic Song - MOGKATS MIRZA

 

Khatchatur I. Pilikian, London, United Kingdom

 

http://www.ramgavar.org/images/stories/khatchatur_i_pilikian.jpg

Khatchatur I. PilikianThe song is both a lament and praise for the Armenian freedom fighter who genuinely believed in peace, hence accepted the offer for peace from the invading Persian *****, the usurper Kholod *****. Enticing the Armenian Prince of Mogk with the promise of a peace deal, the Persian ***** poisoned the valiant freedom fighter--that had come, on his Bedouin Horse, to the Persian ***** in Jezireh -- during a sumptuous banquet hosted by the usurping ***** himself.

 

The rage of the folk poetry and music is directed not towards the neighbouring people – in this case the Persians—but against their usurping ruler. Just like in the Epic of David of Sassoon.

 

In the Epic of Sassoun, when the orphan child David (having lost mother and father) refuses to suckle from the breast of any Armenian woman, his wise uncle Dzenov Ohan (Ohan the Vociferous) puts him on the back of his father’s horse Koorkik Jalal (Splendid Young Horse) and the horse takes him to the land of Mosul-Nineveh ruled by the Arabs, the rulers of Armenia of the day! There his father Maher’s Arab sweetheart breastfeeds the enfant David… This is the wisdom of genuine folk imagery. Mind you, the same David, when grown up, fights against the Arab Melik, his stepbrother but an invader of his ancestral homeland. Alas, some translators of the Epic have omitted that part in their editions, betraying the original text which luxuriates in the notion that peoples are essentially brothers and sisters. They are abused by their oppressors to eventually force them fight each other, hence serve, in modern parlance, as cannon fodder, to safeguard the oppressors wealth, plundered from the oppressed peoples.

 

http://www.ramgavar.org/images/stories/moks_river_t.jpg

The River Moks, flowing south toward the Tigris River, in the province of Mogk, south of Lake Van

 

Komitas had just transcribed the Mokats Mirza song, when the venerable poet Avedik Issahakian meets him in Etchmisdzin. Komitas enthusiastically sings the song to Issahakian, enchanting the poet with his trove. Issahian records down what Komitas told him about the song:

 

"This ancient song has come down to us from the heathen times. Observe how the lyrics and the tune are in compact unison. It has its birth in the high mountains, waterfall cascades and petulant rocks. It has burst out of the soul of our valiant forefathers. It is a song that Dzenov Ohan might have sung to David of Sassoun ..."

 

Here is my English translation of the poem of the Epic Song,

 

Mogkats Mirza:

LAMENT FOR THE PRINCE OF MOGK -

 

Transcribed by Komitas Vardapet(1869-1035)

 

(The epic poem/song covers fourteen verses in total. I have translated the first three and the last, the 14th verse).

 

 

http://www.ramgavar.org/images/stories/komitas_manuscript_t.jpg

Original manuscript by Komitas Vardapet

 

It was Friday, becoming Saturday

In Malakiava it was a festive day,

When a letter arrived

From the town of Jezireh

It was handed over to the Prince of Mogk.

Alãs A thousand lament for the Prince of Mogk.

He read with his sweet voice

But soon wrinkles besieged his eyes

And the Furies pulled down his chin

A red harvest coloured his face.

Alãs A thousand lament for the prince of Mogk

He called upon the farmer of his lands:

“Bring me fast my Bedouin horse

Place on her the saddle made of oyster shells

I am going on a journey

To the land of Jezireh”,

Alãs A thousand lament for the prince of Moigk.

. . .

(Eventually the Prince succumbs to the *****’s poison)

There came the Mogkites and assembled

They gathered around the Prince of Mogk

They carried him to the mountain cave

And left open the west-wind gate.

Do rest in Peace

For a thousand years.

[Yervant1]

http://panorama.am/news_images/588/1762172_3/f58f22d6aade13_58f22d6aade50.thumb.jpg

18:25 15/04/2017

The musician who brought Komitas music on board of British Airline planes

Lebanese-Armenian Levon Eskenian is the founder of the Gurdjieff Ensemble. In an interview with Arevelk daily, Eskenian noted that the aim was to create ethnographically authentic arrangements of the G.I. Gurdjieff’s piano music and the music of Komitas Vardapet and disseminate and popularize the Armenian music, preserve its authenticity. The ensemble comprises 11 recognized musicians with their musical instruments.

The year 2015 was a turning point for the Ensemble when German “ECMrecords” initiated the record and release of the Komitas programme with rearrangements of Levon Eskenian. In 2015, the programme was included in the top ten releases of the British Song Lines Award 2015.

After the release the group toured throughout the world and had concerts at famous venues such as the Bozar Center For Fine Arts in Brussels; the Frari Church in Venice; the Pushkin State Museum in Moscow, the Albert hall in Canberra, Australia; the AUB in Lebanon; the Komitas hall in Yerevan and others.

Some of the songs from the Komitas album are have been played on boards of British Airline planes for a year, Eskenian has told the daily.

http://www.panorama.am/en/news/2017/04/15/Komitas-music-British-Airline/1762172