POETRY OF KOMITAS

As a creative individual, Komitas tested his abilities in the field of poetry, have left marvelous poems. Although the exact dates of their creation are unknown, the poems of the genius composer are assumed to have been written sometime around 1905-1914. In them one can discover the thoughts, feelings and soul of Komitas as a composer and Komitas as a human being. Inspite of the fact that the poems were often written hastily with a pencil, and some of the notebooks were titled “Draft”, the poems of Komitas are respectfully considered flawless and magnificent samples of poetry.
The khazzes from the manuscripts allow us to assume that Komitas intended to vocalize his texts. These poems are penetrated with a heart-felt concern and sincerity; they are unique for their rich syllables, “melody” and “rhythm”. No wonder some of Komitas’ poems served as a basis for songs.
Clarity and spontaneity, deep thought and laconism are typical of the poetry of Komitas.
Love, loneliness, native nature, mother… The lyrics of Komitas are rich in the theme and content. Although up to this day it is not clear who was the cause for Komitas’s excitement, whether or not his love was real, still most of the poems we have left from him are about love. (“In my Dream”, “In your Dream”, “Immortal Love”, etc.).
The poetry of Komitas is also rich in its remarkable landscapes in which his life and loneliness is often put as an analogy to the nature (“An Autumn Day”, “Love and Harvest”). The only complete poem of the great musician is dedicated to his mother (“Mother Lullaby”), and it presents a son-to-mother discourse.

I AM

I am your love,
I am the heat of your love,
Yet lonely...

I am your woman,
You, you are my soul
That I depend on...

Your voice sounded as sudden thunder of love
My soul breathed as an elating lightning of spring...

I breathed your breath deep down my chest
And by your fire I became the poet of the flames...


WISH

Let my trembling voice
Be nested in the sanctuary of your heart.
O my wing,
Let me part in a gasp
And fly away...

THE PATH

The narrow path crawling,
Shivering underneath the feet,
At the end of which
The Tree of Life has grown, shimmering...

What a big heart it has
This road to Eternity
This path for people, plants and beasts alike,
This path of winged birds...

ILLUSION

My soul is a butterfly
Fluttering up and down
Over seas of hope,

My soul is a burden
Motherless, lovelorn
Panting in winds of light...
LOVEBREEZE

Breathe, o breeze,
Little stutterer,
Entwining and swirling
The love of life
And the harvest of the heart,
From the sea waves,
From the cloud pleats,
From the molten blaze
Of crimson flowers,
Let her light a golden light under my bosom,
And you, blow into the flame, o gentle wind,
So that my hope
Swells eternally
Over my chest...

CYPRESSES AND CEDARS

Over the ascending road
Somber cypresses, engulfed in the mist,
Fierily tending towards heavens
With their sharp edged and green hope,
With their conical branches,
As if being a mirthful lot...

Cedars with immaculate leaves
Widows fecund with hope,
Staring their needles towards the eye,
Reminiscing of sunny days
When they sprouted out of the stones
To peak into the bosom of the clouds...

AUTUMN NIGHT

Snowhite moon
On the shoulder of the mount,
Sprinkling yellow and red,
From one wave to the other playing
And in the bosom of the sea,
Firing up a scarlet ribbon.

Trees, winds,
From everywhere,
Singing as birds,
Furrowing far a field
Flocking blissfully
And flying in the air...

THE PAVEMENT AND THE PATH

I wandered from one pavement to the other
I wore out my life and toil on the cobblestones-
In the heart of the stones- piles of gold and silver, mountain high,
Around them- an abundance of trees and flowers.
The leant pavement knew nothing-
On it petrified the path of a foolish life...

AS A FORTUNE

Everyday
Take a lantern
Keep it bright
As the light source
Of your mind-
Again and again,
Take the inexhaustible fire
As the hopeful cord
Of your heart.

 

 

SWEET SPRING

Sweet spring,
Flower and bud,
The merry stream,
Sparkling babble,
Green bloom,
Delightful dew,
Refreshing brook

Where did you leave all these...