Vahan Terian
Vahan Terian | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 9 February 1885 Gandzani, Akhalkalaki uezd, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire |
| Died | 7 January 1920 (aged 34) Orenburg, Russian SFSR |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Nationality | Armenian |
| Education | University of Moscow Lazarian College |
| Period | 1903–1911 |
| Genre | Lyric poetry |
| Spouse | Susanna Teryan |
Vahan Terian (Armenian: Վահան Տերյան;[a] 9 February 1885 – 7 January 1920) was an Armenian poet, lyricist and public activist. He is known for his sorrowful, romantic poems, the most famous of which are still read and sung in their musical versions.
Biography
Terian, whose birth name was Vahan Ter-Grigorian, was born in the village of Gandzani (Gandza in Armenian) in the Javakheti region of Georgia (then in the Russian Empire). Schooled in Tiflis, he then studied at the Lazarian College in Moscow, where he was exposed to Symbolism and joined the Russian Social Democrats. He was jailed by the Tsarist police for his political activities. He is mostly known for his poems dedicated to autumn and love, for which he is known as "Singer of Autumn". He published his first book of poems, Mtnashaghi anurjner (Dreams at dusk), in 1908, which made him an immediate sensation. Hovhannes Tumanian called him the most original lyric poet of his age. He later published the series of poems Gisher yev husher (Night and memories), Voski hekiat (The golden tale), Veradardz (Return), Voske shghta (Golden chain), Yerkir Nairi (Land of Nairi, where he used the ancient name Nairi in place of Armenia throughout),[b] and Katvi drakht (The cat's paradise). His poems are filled with images of rain, mist, pallid fields and shapeless shadows, symbols of sorrow, despair and eventually, peace.
In 1913, Terian left Moscow University for the University of Saint Petersburg, where he majored in oriental languages and intensified his involvement in politics. After the October Revolution in 1917, he became the representative of the Armenians in the People's Commissariat for Nationalities, personally working with Lenin and Stalin. He died in Orenburg of tuberculosis shortly before his 35th birthday. He was buried there in a grave marked by a wooden cross, but the exact spot was soon forgotten. In 1964, soil from the Orenburg cemetery was brought to Yerevan by Terian's daughter and buried in the Komitas Pantheon.[1]
Each year there is a commemoration of his life in Gandzani, where he was born.[2]
Notes
- ^ Classical Armenian orthography: Վահան Տէրեան. Also spelled Teryan and, occasionally, Derian (the latter according to the Western Armenian pronunciation).
- ^ Terian's use of the name Nairi for Armenia was later followed by the poet Yeghishe Charents, who used it in the title of his satirical novel Yerkir Nairi (Land of Nairi).
References
- ^ Teryan's memorial tombstone at Komitas Pantheon
- ^ "Days of Terian Celebrated in Javakhk". ArmenianInfo.am. 31 July 2006. Archived from the original on 19 September 2010.
External links
- Vahan Terian's poems on ArmenianHouse.org (in Armenian)
