An Evening Dedicated To Vahan Tekeyan

The Zvartnots Cultural Committee of the Western Diocese under the auspices of his Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, presented an evening dedicated to Vahan Tekeyan, who is often referred to as "The Prince of Poetry", on Tuesday June 13, 2017.

Chairman Dr. Simon Simonian, opened the evening at 7:45 pm, followed by a prayer by Archpriest Fr. Dr. Zaven Arzoumanian.

Prior to the lecture, two of the poet's most well known poems, "Yegeghetsin Hyegagan" (The Armenian Church) and "Hashvehartar" (Inventory) were recited by the talented Mrs. Asdghig Dadourian with great depth and sensitivity.

The lecturer of the evening was Mrs. Maria Chrissian, a seasoned educator who after extensive research presented Vahan Tekeyan as "The Poet and the Man". She emphasized his unique ability to influence the Armenian psyche during a very difficult historic era at its lowest ebb but gained true appreciation, popularity and fame after his death.

He was born on February 2, 1888 and passed away on April 4, 1945. He attended the "Getronagan" school in Turkey without graduating, yet by self-education and perseverance, he returned to the same school as Principle. He was well travelled and his first visit to Armenia was in 1911. He was a patriotic man and loved the Armenian language which he painted with colorful and flowery words, yet he feared the demise of the language. He was also politically active and expressed his views in numerous newspapers.

However, reflecting on his poems, he emerges as a lonely, melancholic man with deep dark secrets specifically about the love of his life. There is no mention of any family members or relatives in any of his writings. In contrast, he also demonstrates great polarity. His poems reveal a gift to energize, inspire and comfort others. Vahan Tekeyan was blessed with ultimate sensitivity and is still considered as a prolific writer, a master of words which flow from the depths of his soul, touching the emotions and the spirit of his readers. His ethos is timeless. He speaks about the Resurrection and describes his soul as a bridge.

Mrs. Chrissian ended her beautifully documented speech by relaying Vahan Tekeyan's legacy and message for us today:

"Let justice prevail; Love humanity; Love the Armenian Language; Love the Armenian Church; Love Armenia"!

Dr. Simonian thanked the participants of the event and expressed his own concern of how close we have come to Vahan Tekeyan's prediction about the loss of the Armenian Language.

In his closing remarks Archbishop Vache Hovsepian congratulated Dr. Simonian and the Zvartnots Committee for carrying the torch of our culture and heritage. He then quoted from "Yegeghetsin Hyegagan" and characterized Vahan Tekeyan as the personification of "Barz ou khoroung". "Plain to read but requiring great depth to cultivate and enrich your thinking".