Vahan Terian (; February 9, 1885 – January 7, 1920) was an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

lyrist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's income der ...

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 was born in the Gandza village (განძანი) of

Javakheti Javakheti ( ka, ჯავახეთი ) or Javakhk ( hy, Ջավախք, ''Javakhk'') is a historical province in southern Georgia, corresponding to the modern municipalities of Akhalkalaki, Aspindza (partly), Ninotsminda, and partly to the Tur ...

region of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

(then in

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

). Schooled in

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

, he then studied at the Lazarian College in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, where he was exposed to symbolism and joined the Russian Social Democrats. He was jailed by Czarist police for his political activity. He is mostly known for his poems dedicated to autumn and love. That's why Teryan is known as "Singer of Autumn" in Literature. He published his first book of poems, "Dreams at Dusk", in 1908, which made him an immediate sensation,

Hovhannes Tumanian Hovhannes Tumanyan ( hy, Հովհաննես Թումանյան, classical spelling: Յովհաննէս Թումանեան, – March 23, 1923) was an Armenian poet, writer, translator, and literary and public activist. He is the nationa ...

calling him the most original lyric poet of his age. He later published "Night Remembrance", "The Golden Legend", "The Return", "The Golden Link", "In the Land of Nairi" (where he substitute the word 'Nairi' for each instance where the word 'Armenia' would have suited), and "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 St. Petersburg, where he majored in oriental languages, intensifying his political involvement. After the revolution he became representative of Armenians in the Ministry of Nations, personally working with Lenin and Stalin. In 1916, Vahan Terian published a collection of poems entitled ''Land of Nairi'' (in

: (Yerkir Nairi), in which he uses ''Nairi'' in place of Armenia. Likewise in 1923,

Yeghishe Charents Yeghishe Charents (; March 13, 1897 – November 27, 1937) was an Armenian poet, writer and public activist. Charents' literary subject matter ranged from his experiences in the First World War, socialist revolution, and frequently Armenia an ...

wrote a satirical novella entitled ''Land of Nairi'', using once again Nairi as a synonym for Armenia. Hayastan Yeghiazarian used Nairi Zarian as his pen name, replacing his first name, Hayastan (which is what Armenians call Armenia in their own language) with

Nairi Nairi (Traditional Armenian Orthography, classical hy, Նայիրի, ''Nayiri'', Reformed Armenian Orthography, reformed: Նաիրի, ''Nairi''; , also ''Na-'i-ru'') was the Akkadian language, Akkadian name for a region inhabited by a particular ...

. He died in

Orenburg Orenburg (russian: Оренбу́рг, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Ural River, southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is also very close to the Kazakhstan-Russia bor ...

of tuberculosis shortly before his 35th birthday. He was buried there and the grave had been marked by a wooden cross, which was quickly forgotten and the exact spot lost. In 1964 soil from the Orenburg cemetery was brought to

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Y ...

by Terian's daughter and buried in the

Komitas Pantheon __NOTOC__ Komitas Park and Pantheon ( hy, Կոմիտասի անվան զբոսայգի և պանթեոն) is located in Yerevan's Shengavit District, on the right side of the main Arshakunyats Avenue, in Armenia. It was formed in 1936 after the de ...

with a cenotaph was placed.Teryan's memorial tombstone at Komitas Pantheon
/ref> Each year there is a commemoration of his life in

Javakhk Javakheti ( ka, ჯავახეთი ) or Javakhk ( hy, Ջավախք, ''Javakhk'') is a historical province in southern Georgia, corresponding to the modern municipalities of Akhalkalaki, Aspindza (partly), Ninotsminda, and partly to the Tu ...

region at Gandza village where he was born.

Works in Armenian

1903-12, ՄԹՆՇԱՂԻ ԱՆՈՒՐՋՆԵՐ (Dreams of The Dawn)
* ttp://www.armenianhouse.org/teryan/poems-am/tale.html 1908-1911, ՈՍԿԻ ՀԵՔԻԱԹ (Golden Tale)br>1911, ՎԵՐԱԴԱՐՁ (Return)

Works in Russian

Vahan Terian's tombstone at Komitas Pantheon, Yerevan

* ttp://www.armenianhouse.org/teryan/poems-ru/tale.html 1908-11, ЗОЛОТАЯ СКАЗКА (Golden Tale)br>1911, ВОЗВРАЩЕНИЕ(Return)

References

Days of Terian Celebrated in Javakhk

External links

'Vahan Teryan's poems'

Vahan Teryan's works

{{DEFAULTSORT:Terian, Vahan Armenian activists 20th-century Armenian poets 1875 births 1920 deaths People from Tiflis Governorate People from Samtskhe–Javakheti 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Soviet Armenians Burials at the Komitas Pantheon Armenian male poets 20th-century male writers Tuberculosis deaths in the Soviet Union Tuberculosis deaths in Russia