Արմենակ եղիայեանը, իր վերջին՝ «Միասնաբար փրկենք հայերէնը» յղումին մէջ, 45-րդը, կը գրէ հետեւալը՝ «Ոմանք չեն կրնար ձերբազատիլ հայերէնի բառերը անմիտ ու ախտագին աւելորդաբանութիւններով օժտելու, այսինքն՝ ծանրաբեռնելու մոլորութենէն, դուք հասկցէք՝ մոլուցքէն: Նման մոլուցքի մը թելադրանքով է, որ կազմուած են համագործակցութիւն բառը եւ փոխադարձ գործակցութիւն բառակապակցութիւնը»։
Ես այն տպաւորութեանբ մնացած էի որ համագործակցութիւն բառը լրագրական բառ մըն է շեշտելու համար ընթացող գործակցութիւն մը։ Զարմացայ երբ կարդացի Նայիրի կայքին մէջ որ համագործակցութիւն-ը բառ մըն որ կը նշանակէ «ընդհանուր գործակցութիւն»,Իսկ գործակցութիւն-ը կը նշանակէ «Աջակցութիւն, համագործութիւն»։ (Բառգիրք հայերէն լեզուի։ Անդրանիկ Վրդ. Կռանեան, Պէյրութ, 1998։)
Բնականաբար հարց ծագեցաւ միտքիս մէջ՝ հապա այս երկու բառերուն Անգլերէն իմաստը ի՞նչ է։ Ըստ նոյն բառարանին, համագործակցութիւն բառին Անգլերէն իմաստտը՝ cooperation է, իսկ գործակցութիւն բառին իմաստն ալ cooperation է։ Հետեւաբար կրնանք եզրակացնել որ Անգլերէն լեզուն գործակցութեան եւ համագործակցութեան մէջեւ տարբերութիւն չի դնէր, եթէ պատահի որ թարգմանենք։ Իսկ Եթէ այս երկու բառերուն միջեւ Հայերէն տրուած բացատրութեան մէջ տարբերութիւն կը գտնէք, ապա նոյնանման տարբեր բառեր են ձեզի համար։ Իսկ Արմենակը կը գրէ՝ «Արդ, գործակցութիւն-ը առանձին արդէն կը նշանակէ նոյն գործի կատարումը, նոյն գործին նուիրիումը: Ասոր վրայ համա- նախածանցի յաւելումը այլեւս ոչ զարդ է, ոչ զարդարանք, այլ անմիտ կրկնաբանութիւն մը:» Չէմ ժխտեր Արմենակին ըրած նկատողութիւնը։
Գալով փոխադարձ գործակցութեան բառակապակցութեան, Google-ը կը թարգմանէ՝ «mutual cooperation”։ Այլապէս կարելի չէ թարգմանել։
Mutual cooperation բառակապակցութիւնը ճիշդ եւ ընդունուած գործածութիւն մըն է, կ՚ըսէ ԱԲ-ը (Արհեստական Բանականութիւն-ը)։ Այլեւս չենք կրնար անգիտանալ ԱԲ-ին գիտութեանը։ Անգլերէն լեզուն որպէս առօրեայ գորածող եւ կարդացող մէկը, կը հաստատեմ որ այդպէս է, mutual cooperation-ին գործածութիւնը անտեղի չէ, բայց չի նշանակէր Հայերէն փոխադարձ գործակցութեան, քանի որ Անգլերէն լեզուին մէջ mutual բառը միայն որպէս փոխադարձ չի գործածուիր, թէեւ Նայիրի-ին նոյն բառարանը փոխադարձ բառը կը նշէ միայն։
Merriam-Webster, Անգլերէն լեզուին յեղինակաւոր բառարանը չորս իմաստներ կը նշէ որ mutual բառը կրնայ նշանակել։ Չորրորդը՝ joint է, Հայերէնով միասնաբար։ Չեմ կրնար պատկերացնել որ Հայերէն փոխադարձ բառը այդ իմաստը կրնայ տալ՝ միասնաբար։
Հետեւաբար, թէեւ Անգլերէն լեզուին մէջ mutual cooperation-ին գործածութիւնը ընդունուած է, բայց չեմ կրնար պատկերացնել որ փոխադարձ գործակցութիւն բառակապակցութիւնը այդպէս կրնայ ընկալուիլ։ Հետեւաբար չեմ ժխտեր Արմենակին ըսածը որ « Նոյնքան, եթէ ոչ աւելի զազրելի կրկնաբանութիւն մըն է փոխադարձ գործակցութիւն բառակապակցութիւնը: Քանի որ հոն ուր գործակցութիւն կայ, ինքնաբերաբար կայ նաեւ փոխադարձութիւն, որովհետեւ գործակցութիւնը չի կրնար ինքնագլուխ ըլլալ, ան անպայման ներդաշնակ պիտի ըլլայ երկու իրարու հետ գործողներու»։
Recently Saro Varjabedian published a book titled “Tim and Robot”. Whenever I hear or read the name Saro, I am reminded not of Saro from the opera “Anoush”; but of Saro Varjabedian and the circumstances I met by which I met his maternal grandparents in Beirut.
My father ran an inn in Lebanon, which was fairly well known among the Armenians of that era. The upper two floors of a building in the downtown, in the immediate vicinity of the parliament building, constituted the inn. Its guests were mostly Armenians from all over, including from East Europe on their way to immigrate to the U.S. through the sponsorship of ANCHA, the Armenian National Committee for Homeless Armenians. It was during one of those days, when I exited the elevator, I saw suitcases on the floor. It was not an unusual sight. Guests came with their suitcases and left them in the hallway until my father made the arrangements for their stay. I asked my father who were the guests and from where they had come. He told me that it’s an Armenian family from Bulgaria.
Over the years I had become privy of the harsh reality of life behind the Iron Curtain. My father had seemed to have become an unofficial liaison with the ANCHA’s office. This Armenian Bulgarian family too, stayed in the hotel until ANCHA completed the necessary documentation for their sojourn in Lebanon and covered the expenses for their stay in the hotel. After having their papers in order at the ANCHA's office, most of them left the hotel and rented a place. Many found employment mostly in Armenian held businesses until their departure. Much like the rest, they too stopped by to let my father know that they will be leaving soon and bid goodbye. I remember to this day when this Bulgarian family let us know that they intended to settle in New York, the image of an Armenian family settling in that large city remained etched in my mind for many years and I would wonder how the Armenian family fared in that impersonal metropolis.
Fast forward. After much reluctance our son Daniel agreed to attend Camp Haiastan. But it did not take long for him to make friends. Among them was his friend Saro. After their camping session was over, I who drove our son Daniel from NJ to Saro’s parents’ house in Queens on many Saturdays and picked him the next day on Sunday afternoon. During one of such visits, Saro's maternal grandparents happened to be there. I got carried away conversing with his grandfather. One thing led to another, and his grandfather produced a journal he kept and read passages to me of their stay in Beirut. Lo and behold, I came across my father’s name. Suddenly it dawned on me that the Bulgarian Armenian family with two daughters my age l met, was the hospitable family who graciously hosted our son. Our sons had become best buddies. It would not take much to surmise that I felt a strong kinship with the family and especially with Saro.
In 1995 my job took me to Cincinnati to our sons’, especially to our elder son Daniel’s dismay. It was his friends from the Camp Haiastan and from the Armenian Presbyterian Church that kept Daniel going with their frequent phone calls especially during our first year in Cincinnati. And it was Saro among them who paid him a visit a few months after our settling in Cincinnati.
More than a quarter of century has passed since Saro’s visiting us in Cincinnati. Both remain good friends and visit each other. Through these years Saro embarked pursuing his dream of becoming a cinematographer. A year or two ago, Saro wrote a screenplay and directed his first feature film “Respite”. He has directed eight feature films, one feature documentary, and several web-series and countless short films.
Saro’s grandfather passed away a few years ago. Saro dedicated a short film he produced in his grandfather’s memory in Armenia. "After Water There is Sand," has been screened at several International film festivals.
Along with Armenia, Saro has also directed and filmed internationally, in Cuba, France, Lebanon, Mexico and India. He holds a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Columbia and has taught cinematography and directing at the New York Film Academy.
Recently Saro added to his accomplishments as a screenwriter, director and cinematographer, his authorship of a book titled “Tim and Robot”. Saro introduces his book in the first paragraph of his the preface he wrote, and says: “I embarked on this journey to write this book shortly after the Supreme Court decided to overrun Roe v. Wade in Dobbe v Jackson on June 2 2022. The ruling handed down by the conservative majority in the Supreme Court, many of whom were newly appointed seemingly for the very purpose of dismantling this right that had been afforded American citizens for nearly 40 years. This ruling was so shocking and disappointing to me, at that very moment, it compelled me to try to do something, beyond voting, irrespective of whether I had any impact or not.”
“Tim and Robot”, a Spiritual Agnostic’s Guidance to a Newly Formed Consciousness” by Saro Varjabedian retails on Amazon.com.
“It will not stay like this” is the verbal translation of Hovhannes Toumanian’s poetic tale titled “Այսպէս չի՛ մընա»։ The original is posted below. Hovhannes Toumanian was endearingly known as the All-Armenian Poet.
I heard this poetic tale for the very first time two years ago, read by my former high school classmate Ohan Armenian in his penthouse like home, in an upscale, fashionable part of LA. I post it in a verbatim translation in remembrance of my high school years with my classmate Vaghenag Tarpinian who recites Toumanian marvelously (See post below).
Arguably Hovhannes Toumanian is the most colorful person that has graced us, as Armenians. In 1888, at the age of nineteen, Toumanian married seventeen-year-old Olga Machkalyan. They had 10 children, four boys and six girls. He died at the age of fifty-four. For all indications, throughout his life he remained a fascinating figure, not only as a literary larger than life figure, but also socially. His upper floor home became known as the "vernadoun", where the who's is who gathered.
It is given that “It will not stay like this" is a tale. But "who knows for sure?" asks Hovhannes Toumanian. It may have been an unlikely story of a poor man who was unable to feed his family, and his industrious, wise and driven son, whom the father gave for servitude to a rich and visited him on and off. That is how Toumanian envisioned it.
Here is its verbatim translation that does not and cannot do justice for the original piece. Vaհe H Apelian
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Whether it is or not, who knows for sure.
And what is certain about the world...
There is only one thing certain in the world,
That is, that\ there is nothing certain.
There is, as it were, a peasant man,
Poor, in need of daily sustenance.
He has a clever boy,
He takes him for a servant.
The over achieving, driven, clever boy grew up working hard and better. His master was pleased with him and gave him more money. The boy's father missed his son and came to visit him.
They are getting old. This clever boy
Serves so honestly and cheerfully,
That the master increases his wages,
As he looks at himself.
One day the father remembers his son
And gets up to see him.
-Oh, how are you, my son, now too
Aren't you naked and naked, and hungry?
— No, I'm fine, father, I always have a livelihood,
But what to do that... “It will not stay like this”,
The boy worked so well that he became the king's servant. The father missed the boy and came to visit him. The boy said that he is living well and there is no need to be concerned about him and that “it will not remain the same”.
Father goes. They are getting older.
The boy goes forward day by day,
Finally, he rises, reaches the palace,
Becomes a servant to the great king.
One day the father remembers his son
And gets up to see him.
— Hey, how are you, my son, what else do you want?
You swim abundantly in this full sea.
— Yes, I'm full, father, you go in peace,
But what to do that... “It will not stay like this”,
The king’s servant was so loved that he became the second in command in the kingdom. The father came to visit his son again. The boy said that he has become a nazir and is living very well and that “it won’t stay like this”.
Our clever servant is so loved,
That the king brings him to the palace
Makes him the second in command.
One day a father remembers his son
And gets up to see him.
Oh, how are you, my son, what else is happening,
They sit and stand up alive at your word.
— Yes, I am old, father, I am a Nazir,
But what to do that... “It will not stay like this”,...
Time passed by, the king died and the country remained without a ruler. The wise men of the kingdom decided that the boy should be the king. The father finds out and was proud of his son, and came to see him. The boy said that he is the ruler of the country and also said “it won’t stay like this”.
The father goes. They are getting older.
The king of this good country is old
One day he dies without an heir,
The throne and the world are left without a master.
They call a meeting of the elders of the country.
They come to a meeting, they consult,
They bring their clever Nazir
With words and glory, they make him king,
And one day our villager hears:
His son has become king.
He comes. —Son, what else do you lack,
You are the only one in the whole world who exists...
— Thank God, father, I have a crown and a throne,
But what can you do that... it doesn't happen like this.....
Time passed, the king grew old and died. The father came and visited the king's tombstone that read: “it won’t stay like this”
The father leaves. They are getting old.
The autocrat, sitting on his throne,
makes a new decision of death and life:
The whole world has gathered dust.
Even if the world gathers dust,
You will leave the world alive again.
Our king once fell on his bed, and gave up his soul.
The old father heard one day,
The father leaves. They are getting old.
The autocrat, sitting on his throne,
makes a new decision of death and life:
The whole world has gathered dust.
Even if the world gathers dust,
You will leave the world alive again.
Our king once fell on his bed, and gave up his soul.
The old father heard one day,
That his son, the king, did not remain.
What can he say? It comes to him.
What more mourning, what more mourning and weeping...
With force, pomp, ceremony, and pageantry
They hold a royal funeral,
And they rise, making a show
They all go to their homes.
They are getting old. One day, the father
Comes to his son's grave.
He comes, sees a marble tombstone,
But written on it... "It won't happen like this..."
The father goes. They are getting old.
Who can tell us the account...
From there on people talked about what the wise, driven king had on his tombstone that his glory, power and time on earth are all transient, and that things will not remain the same in their lives too.
From that day to this day, endlessly, forever
The conversation says — "It won't be like this..."
And the magnificent statue of the king is no more,
Nor his city on the earth,
The earth is ours and life is the foundation,
But our world... it won't be like this..
For all indications Toumanian lived true to the "it will not remain the same" and lived the moment and wrote the following (recited by Vaghenag Tarpinian)
Armenian presidents Serzh Sargsyan, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Robert Kocharian. meeting Turkish presidents Abdullah Gul, Suleyman Demirel
Armenia commemorates the Armenian Genocide on April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, which is a non-working holiday.
I cannot tell whether the self-appointed Armenian righteous opposition in the National Assemby mistrusts the citizens, or is engaged in enraging or amusing Erdogan or attempted to shoot themselves at their feet, by introducing a bill that would criminalize the denial of the Armenian genocide for the citizens of Armenia. After all, it is their leaders, first and foremost, who should be held legally accountable for forgoing the Armenian genocide when they were the presidents of Armenia and set forth a political process that is being carried to this day. Recognition, restitution, reparation of genocide and historical Armenian lands do not factor in the foreign policy of Armenia.
But that is Armenian politics and all political is local. The Armenian citizens will have to sort it, one way or another. But what is disturbing is the Armenian pundits bringing politics in Armenia onto the Diaspora.
At the cost of repeating myself,it is about the latter that I will address in the manner Jirair Tutunjian addressed while attempting to come across cool, humorous, if not sarcastic.
Yesterday, I read Jirair Tutunjian’s fictional article in Keghart.com titling “Pollyanna Pashinyan”. Pollyana means someone who is excessively cheerful when the person does not have much going for to be so cheerful, especially for Armenians, let alone Armenian leaders, especially Nikol Pashinyan, according to Jirair Tutunjian.
“It is self-evident", Dr. Albert Apelian wrote in his "The Antiochians" novel, that "truth must prevail, or we shall all perish! And the truth is to be found everywhere, even in the pages of a work of fiction.” Indeed, the truth is to be found even in humor and sarcasm and that is what, let us face it, Jirair Tutunjian attempted to do, so will I.
Jirair Tutunjian wrote that “A source close to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s inner cabinet lent to us a copy of the speech Mr. Pashinyan will deliver to the nation next week.” In the copy of Nikol Pashinyan’s speech Jirair has been privy, he highlighted the following statement Nikol Pashinyan will deliver to NA, saying: “I am happy to report to you that I plan to reduce our defense spending from 665 billion drams a year to 563 billion drams. In dollars that’s down to $1.47 billion. We will also reduce compulsory military service from two years to 18 months.”
In order not to offend any Armenian, I was not going to divulge what my trusted source I cannot name, had told me some 10 days ago. Also, I had thought it is fair that I withhold the information trusted to me because I cannot point divulge the source. Jirair Tutunjian is a journalist, and an editor. After reading his report, I told myself if its good enough for him to report from his unnamed sources, it should be good enough for me to report what my unnamed sources told me, sort of the saying, “what’s good for the goose, is good for the gander.”
My trusted source, as I have noted that I cannot name, told me that sometimes during the past 10 days, Erdogan was having a hearty lough during a meeting with his bakanlar(ministers). The ministers had no recollection when it was the last time they saw Erdogan in such a light hearted mood. But none of ministers dared to ask him why he is so amused. It was his askeri bakan (military minister) who took the courage and the following had transpired.
Askeri bakan (military minister): Effendi, what is that amuses you so much?
Erdogan: yan komşumuz Ermeniler (our next-door Armenian neighbors) bickering how to slice their $9.5 Billion state budget to confront our military, whose $47 Billion budget alone is more than quadruple their state budget.
askeri bakan: Effendi, görmezden gelmek (ignore them sir). Önemli meselelerimiz var(we have pressing issues.)
Reading Jirair’s reporting, I checked the internet and realized that Jirair’s figures are figments of his imagination. But Erdogan speaking on Armenia’s state budget in relations to Turkish military budget was right on the money!.
Yes, Armenia’s 2026 state budget to attend to the many needs of the republic, not to mention the overwhelming poverty, the settlement of the Artsakh refugees, is indeed a meager $9.5 billion while Turkey’s military budget alone is $47 billion.
What was more surprising to me was that Turkey is listed among the nations that have the shortest mandatory military service of 6 months to a year. Russia’s mandatory military service is a one year.
I wondered who came with this magical number of 2 years compulsory military service in for the Armenians. I also thought cutting the length of the service by six months, may help the government better feed the young serving the army and improve the quality of their training for, as Napoleone has said, an army cannot move on a fully filled stomach.
*
Armenians criminalizing the denial of genocide, will have to bring the presidents of Armenia to justice for setting up the modern-day precedent for ignoring the genocide in their dealings with Turkey.
Armenians criminalizing the denial of genocide will have to render a historical verdict decrying the very founders of the Republic of Armenia who neglected the Armenian genocide and signed the Treaty of Batumi on Tuesday June 4, 1918, exactly one week after Tuesday May 28, 1918, and thanked Talaat Pasha, and others, including the Sultan for having let Armenians declare a Republic on 10,400 sq. Km of their ancient land.
Just a short while ago I read Jirair Tutunjian’s report in Keghart.com titled “Pollyanna Pashinyan”. Pollyana means someone who is excessively cheerful when the person does not have much going to be so cheerful, especially for Armenians, let alone Armenian leaders, especially Nikol Pashinyan, according to Jirair Tutunjian.
Jirair wrote that “A source close to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s inner cabinet lent to us a copy of the speech Mr. Pashinyan will deliver to the nation next week.” In the copy of Nikol Pashinyan’s speech Jirair has been privy, he highlighted the following statement Nikol Pashinyan will deliver to NA, saying: “I am happy to report to you that I plan to reduce our defense spending from 665 billion drams a year to 563 billion drams. In dollars that’s down to $1.47 billion. We will also reduce compulsory military service from two years to 18 months.”
In order not to offend any Armenian, I was not going to divulge what my trusted source I cannot name, had told me some 7 days ago. Also, I had thought that it is fair I withhold the information trusted to me because I cannot divulge the source. Jirair Tutunjian is a journalist, and an editor. After reading his report, I told to myself, if its good enough for him to report from his unnamed sources, it should be good enough for me to report what my unnamed sources told me, sort of the saying, “what’s good for the goose, is good for the gander.”
My trusted source, as I have noted that I cannot name, told me that sometimes during the past seven days, Erdogan was having a hearty lough during a meeting with his bakanlar (ministers). The ministers had no recollection when it was the last time they saw Erdogan in such a light hearted, cheerful mood. But none of ministers dared to ask him why he is so amused. It was his askeri bakan (military minister) who took the courage and the following had transpired.
Askeri bakan (military minister): Effendi, what is that seni eğlendiriyor (amuses you) so much.
Erdogan: yan komşumuz Ermeniler (our next-door Armenian neighbors) bickering how to slice their $9.5 Billion state budget to confront our military, whose $47 Billion budget alone is more than quadruple their entire state budget.
askeri bakan: Effendi, görmezden gelmek (ignore them, sir). Önemli meselelerimiz var (we have pressing issues.)
Reading Jirair’s reporting, I checked the internet and realized that Jirair’s figures are figments of his imagination. But Erdogan speaking on Armenia’s state budget in relations to Turkish military budget was right on the money!..
Yes, Armenia’s 2026 state budget to attend to the many needs of the republic, not to mention the overwhelming poverty, the settlement of the Artsakh refugees, is indeed a meager $9.5 billion while Turkey’s military budget alone is $47 billion.
What was more surprising to me was that Turkey is listed among the nations that have the shortest mandatory military service of 6 months to a year. Russia’s mandatory military service is a one year.
I wondered who came with this magical number of 2 years compulsory military service for the Armenian citizens. I also thought cutting the length of the service by six months, may help the government better feed the young serving the army and improve the quality of their training. Napoleon has said, an army cannot march on a half or partially filled stomach, let alone empty. Armenia's conscripts deserve to have a decent, healthy meal, which they are not getting.
Երբեմնի դասընկերոջս Օհան Արմէնեանին՝ հին օրերու յուշերով, այնցեալ տարի այս օրերուն էր, իր վայելուչ տան մէջ՝ Յովհաննէս Թումանեանին այս բանաստեղծութիւնը առաջին անգամ ըլլալով իմացայ, իր ընթերցանութեամբ։ Վահէ Յ Աբէլեան
