Hyortik was sung at the 110th commemoration of the Armenian genocide

 Vaհe H. Apelian

Below is the lyrics of Hyortik, maybe the signature song of the Five Fingers Band. The song as sung during the commemorating of the 110^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in Lebanon, the birth place of that song. 

The above is the lyrics of Hyortik, maybe the signature song of the Five Fingers Band. I owe the lyrics to Vahig Vartabedian, a musician who was active on the Armenian pop music scene and knew the members of the band.

The Five Fingers band was made of a group of talented Armenian musicians, such as Stepan Frounjian who continues to share his talent on the Facebook from Racine, Wisconsin while also serving the Armenian Apostolic Church there as its arch deacon.

I got to know more of the Five Fingers band because I translated Boghos Shahmelikian’s memoir of the band that came onto the Armenian pop scene scene in late 1960’s. Those interested to know about the band and the era may read my introduction of the book I translated with the help of my cousin Jack Chelebian (https://vhapelian.blogspot.com/2021/04/dawn-of-armenian-pop-music-primary.html )

Hyortik is a complex word made of “hye” (Հայ) and “Vorti”, which according to the Nairi dictionary means son, child. We know that the Armenian language does not have different pronouns for males and females. By extension Hyortik may be translated as “Children of Armenians” or “Sons of Armenians.” The first sentence of the lyrics addresses to “Հայորդիք որ կ՚ապրիք դուք հեռուն” (Sons of Armenians who live far away). 

But who were the children of the Armenians who lived in "far away" places?  The song urged them not to forget the Armenian language, but to speak it, to love one other, not to be assimilated, and in turn, teach the history of the Armenians to their children so that their children too would also know “արժէքը հայերուն” (the value of the Armenians). 

It is hard to fathom now that that message was for the Armenian youth growing in the west, in the Armenian sense of the designation of the West (Europe, Americas,....). I may even say that they meant to Armenians of their age who lived far from the Armenian community of the Middle East, especially Lebanon and Syria, the cradles of Diaspora Armenian culture. The members of the band remained concerned that their brethren may be on the verge of assimilation. They ended the song by repeating the following two sentences of the lyrics over and over again: "Let's not assimilate, let's love each other. Let's keep our holy honor high." 

The members of the Five Fingers were born and raised in a veritable Armenia that was the Armenian community of Lebanon. The state of the Armenianness of their brothers and sisters in those “faraway” lands of America and Europe, concerned their youthful souls. It is for them they composed HYORTIK.

But, little did they knew that in a few short years they too will cross oceans and continents and settle on the very same real estate that dreaded them once. And, in another twist of fate, I ended up dedicating my translation and publication of Boghos Shahmelikian’s memoir, both of which were a labor of love, to the children of those popular Armenian pop music musicians who changed the landscape of the Armenian pop music, so that their children now may be able to read about their parents in the language they, unlike their parents, are brought up and understand, English.

After some vacillating, I decided to add the following concluding paragraph to end my reflection on the one-time popular song by the Five Fingers band. Those in Diaspora, who have something to say as to how best the elected government of Republic of Armenia should govern Armenia, or whether the citizens of Armenia are patriotic enough or not, have their priorities misplaced. Instead of minding and mending their own in the Diaspora, they have resorted to say something as how best the citizens of Armenia should mind and mend their own. I say, something is not  right there. 

A few decades after the release of the Hyortic extolling the Armenian youth in the west, I wonder what message is being conveyed to our communities in Lebanon and Syria that also are culturally if not existentially threatened. Of the six Armenian members of the Lebanese parliament, only one can read and write Armenian. The rest either have a working Armenian speaking knowledge, or no knowledge at all, per Ara Sanjian.

It was fitting that the Hyortic song was sung during the 110 anniversary of the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in Lebanon, the birth place of Hyortic,  and I wonder if the Diaspora is living up to the lyrics of that song and...

Are we not forgetting our sweet mother tongue?

Are we singing and always talking (Armenian)?

Are we seeing how sweet it is?

We’re few. But are we remaining Armenian?

Are we not forgetting our mother tongue?

Are we endlessly supporting each other?

Are we always holding our nation high?

Are we always high? And are we remaining lofty?

Are we not assimilating? And are we loving each other?

Are we keeping our holy honor high?

As Armenians we live far away (from Armenia)

Are we not forgetting our Armenian history?

Are we telling our children to know?