Missak Medzarents: Sweet is the Night

Missak Medzarents

Translated by Vahe H. Apelian

The night is sweet, pleasant is the night,

Anointed with hashish and balsam.

On the moonlit road, I pass by intoxicated.

The night is sweet, pleasant is the night…. 

Kisses are blown in from the breeze and the sea,

Kisses from the light blossoming around me.

This night is festive, my soul’s Sunday,

Kisses are blown in from the breeze and the sea. 

But the light in my soul wears out bit by bit.

My lips are thirsty for the single kiss.

It is a joyous night of light and moon,

But the light in my soul wears out bit by bit…

 

The Poet 

Missak Medzarents  (January 18, 1886- July 5, 1908) has been called the most lyrical, most musical poet to write in Armenian. It has been claimed his poetry would be impossible to translate into another language. I hope this translation justifies the tenderness the young poet expressed in his native language. He passed away at the age of 22. He poignantly notes in the poem, turned into a popular song, that the light in his soul wears down bit by bit. He died with thirsty lips longing for the single kiss. He was afflicted with tuberculosis since his yearly youth.

The Composer

The musical composition of the Missak Medzarents' poem was done by the late Hrant Kevorkian, a graduate of Melkonian Institute of Cyprus. He was a family friend and personalized his autobiographical book to my parents where he had noted about them and about my brother and I, and my paternal cousins Stepan and Ara. Hrant's musical composition of the poem became a very popular song at one time and was often sung during dances. 

An Anectode

There was a group of us sitting and chatting on the veranda of Hotel Lux in an evening. The veranda was on the sixth and last floor. Patches of the Mediterranean Sea came in view, as well as the snow covered mountaintops in Mount Lebanon in the north. It must have been a serene night especially for the lady from the dusty plains of Aleppo, who was staying in the hotel as a delegate to attend a meeting of HMENETMEN girl scouts that was to take place in Beirut. She was among the group enjoying the evening and chatting. I guess the atmosphere of the day lifted her spirits. Suddenly she took upon herself and started singing the song "Sweet is the Night". After she was done my mother pointed to her that the gentleman sitting on the chair next to her is the song's composer Hrant Kevorkian. It happened that he was actually sitting on a chair next to hers. Needless to say she was caught in a pleasant and utter surprise. Hrant Kevorkian mentioned the incident in his autobiographical book.

Գիշերն անոյշ է, գիշերն հեշտագի՜ն,

Հաշիշով օծուն ու բալասանով.

Լուսեղէն ճամբէն ես կ'անցնիմ գինով՝

Գիշերն անոյշ է, գիշերն հեշտագին...։

 

Համբոյրնէր կու գան հովէն ու ծովէն,

Համբոյր՝ լոյսէն որ չորս դիս կը ծաղկի,

Այս գիշեր Տօն է հոգւոյս՝ Կիրակի՜,

Համբոյրնէր կու գան հովէն ու ծովէն ։

 

Բայց լոյսն իմ հոգւոյս քիչ քիչ կը մաշի՜

Շրթունքս են ծարաւ միակ համբոյրին...։

Ցնծագին գիշեր է լոյս ու լուսին՝

Բայց լոյսն իմ հոգւոյս քիչ քիչ կը մաշի...։

 

Missak Medzarents

Hrant Kevorkian's musical composition copied from his book