Kessab: The three fateful days in March 2014

 Kessab: The three fateful days in March 2014 and their aftermath.

Vaհe H Apelian

March 20, 21, 22, 2014 will remained etched forever in the memories of those who lived through those three days. Those three days in turn and their aftermath  will go down in the history of Kessab, the only Armenian speaking enclave from historical Cilician (Western) Armenia.

The three days presented here are personal accounts from the ground zero, as the events were unfolding, on those very same days. The unfolding of each day was posted separately. I summarized in this blog those three fateful days of Kessab, and their aftermath as a continuum 

March 20, 2014, an ordinary day, the day before the exodus. 

The Teachers' Day in Syria, is typically celebrated on the third Thursday in March. As teachers’ Day goes, it is meant to honor the dedication of educators to building the nation's future. It is not a public holiday, but schools and communities celebrate with special events. In that fateful month, the Teachers’ Day in Syria was on March 20, 2014.

But in 2014, the Kessabtsis celebrated the Teachers’ Day a few days earlier on March 16. Ani Apelian had been the principal of the Armenian Evangelical School for many years. The celebration had happened in their house and Stepan J Apelian had taken that historic picture posted above.

My Facebook records indicate that I had been chatting with Stepan on March 20, 2014, at 3:40 pm, local U.S. Eastern Daylight time. I was in Cincinnati, OH. My cousin Stepan J Apelian, was in Keorkune, Kessab, Syria. The local time there was 10:40 p.m. It was an ordinary evening. We seem to be chatting about my friend Hratch Bedoyan who had passed away in 1992 due to a heart attack. Hratch and I had had visited Keorkune and had spent a few days at our family’s ancestral home, with my paternal uncle and his family.

I do not know when we ended our conversation, but it sure was later in the afternoon local U.S. time and late into the night in Syria.  

March 21, 2014, The day of the exodus,. 

Late in the night of the same day of March 20, 2014,, I received a message from Sevan Apelian from Anjar, that her brother had left Keurkune in haste, because Kessab was under attack.

It turned out that a few hours after Stepan and I ended our chat, on the wee hours of the early morning on Friday March 21, 2014, the first day of spring, hell had broken loose over Kessab

Heavily armed extremists had attacked Kessab from Turkey accompanied by artillery fire. In a matter of hours, the overwhelming majority of some 2,000 or so Armenian inhabitants of the greater Kessab, along with those who had taken refuge there from the civil war raging in Syria, had fled for their safety to the coastal city of Latakia, some 35 miles away. 

So had Stepan, Ani with their son Hovag, who was in his early teens, and Stepan’s mother, my aunt Asdghig. They had hopped into their car, carrying with them their essential personal documents, fand had fled Kessab, with the rest of  the Kessabtsis, to Lattakia.

Kessab borders Turkey. This onslaught of extremists on Kessab from Turkey, surely happened with the assistance and the permission of the Turkish government. Many, if not most, of the extremists who attacked Kessab were later reported not to have been Syrian nationals but were mercenaries recruited from elsewhere. The attack on Kessab was termed the “Anfal” campaign. I quote, “Anfal, which is Arabic for the spoils of war, is the name of the eighth sura, or chapter, of the QurÂ’an. It tells a tale in which followers of Mohammed pillage the lands of nonbelievers. “Basically, the attackers were sanctioned to loot Kessab and looting they did. They also killed the few able-bodied young Kessabtsis who stayed behind to support their elderly family members who could not leave during the mayhem.

March 22, 2014, the day after the exodus. 

Kessabtsis had become refugees in their own country. Some of them found shelter with family members, relatives, and friends they had in Lattakia. Stepan had the family settled in an apartment, he had his Lattakia based business lawyer, whom he had befriended over the years, rent for them. Not all had these connections and had to stay in the church compound. The Kessabtsis organized a relief committee to oversee the fair distribution of aid. 

Stepan posteտ the following on his Facebook page.

“Stepan’s comment. 

To all our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora and mainland Armenia.

It is a very sad day for Kessab. 

The first day of spring - 2014, March 21 - the barbaric enemy with the full support of Turkey as government; logistically, militarily, and even participated in military action and attacked Kesssab early morning at 4 a.m. The attack started with a heavy shelling of the peaceful village, with mortars and grads, creating a chaotic state. 

The civilians fled to Lattakia, but no one can assure safety in Lattakia too. 

This aggression of Turkey is not justified in any way. The extremists are hopeless and frustrated. They could not sustain their existence in many parts of Syria, so they poured their venom on a peaceful, farming, and touristic area – Kessab – and its peaceful people who had no inclination to politics and power, whatsoever.  All through the 3 years of dirty (civil) war, we stayed very peaceful, created no friction with any party, showed military activities against no one. All were busy supporting their families and gave a safe haven to more than 1000 displaced families from all over Syria, of all denominations and faiths without any discrimination. These people are now being penalized for such a peaceful stand. 

The super powers of West are making humanitarian and human rights declarations as the safeguards of all values. But in fact, are blindfolded and deaf to all such act s that they secretly support as well. President Obama in his presidency oath clearly declared that the U.S.A. will return back to its ancestors’ and founding fathers’ values. Wonder if he really did fulfill his promise. 

We ask all living world of conscience to raise their voice against all aggressions at peaceful and life loving civilians.”

March 2014, and beyond.

Most Kessabtsis remained in Latakia during the ordeal. On June 15, word reached them that the extremists had left and that regular Syrian soldiers had entered the Kessab. Following the news Stepan and many other  Kessabtsi men started returning to check on their houses, businesses, orchards. The found the Missakiian Cultural Center in the the center of Kessab still smoldering.

They found their homes, businesses, churches, community centers looted and mostly torched.  They found cemeteries desecrated. Some started rebuilding their shattered lives. But some left for overseas. Most of the latter group claimed their departure oversees was temporary and that they will when law and order prevail in the region to secure their and their families’ safety.

Stepan J Apelian inspecting his sacked and looted house and soap factory

For Stepan, Ani, Hovag and Stepan’s mother Asdghig, That, would be it. They would not return to Keurkune again, let alone resume their lives anew in Keurkune, Kessab.

Stepan returned to Keurkune visiting their ransacked house and businesses and made arrangements forf essential repairs to save their home and businesses from the elements of nature.

 Ani, Hovag and Stepan’s mother Asdghig, went to UAE to be with their daughter and her family and from there onto the United States. The family settled in Corona, California. Stepan and Ani continue to live there.

 Hovag graduated from college with distinction into a fine young man.

My paternal aunt Asdghig, Stepan’ mother was born in Keurkune on May 5, 1931. She married my uncle Joseph in Keurkune, where he too was born. They raised their family in Keurkune and buried their elders there. My uncle Joseph had passed away in May 1988, in Keurkune. My aunt Asghgig passed away on May 29, 2025, in Corona, CA. 

The Muslim extremists wiped a century long hard work by the Kessabtsi Medz Yeghern survivors and their descendants. The blow the Muslim extremists had inflicted on Kessab was existential. Kessab has not fully recovered but it and Kessabtsis endure.

Celebrating Hovag's engaement

 

Along the drop of honey

Vaհe H Apelian

“A Drop of Honey” is a relatively lengthy, well-known prose-poetry by the “all Armenian poet” Hovhannes Toumanian. 

The poetry is about spontaneous reactions to turn of events, with each event becoming the trigger for increasingly harsher and more violent reaction. The whole thing starts as follows.

A shepherd with his dog enters, his neighboring grocery store to buy honey. While both are amicably chatting, the grocer is weighing the honey. A drop of honey drops on the floor. Soon, a fly lands on the honey. But as soon as the fly lands, the grocer’s cat jumps on the fly. But the shepherd’s dog, seeing the cat suddenly come of nowhere, jumps on the cat and mauls the cat to death. Distraught at the death of the grocery’s cat, the grocer grabs something heavy, and with one blow casts the shepherd’s dog’s carcass, next to the cat’s body. The shepherd seeing the grocer kill his beloved dog, brandishes his shepherd’s staff back and forth, and with a blow or two, leaves the grocer’s lifeless body on the floor. The villagers seeing their beloved grocer’s lifeless body,  come together, screaming and shouting, and give such a beating to the shepherd that shepherd’s lifeless body remains at the grocery’ door. The shepherd’s villagers hearing of his death, gather all they can, be it a rifle, or a hoe; mount anything they can, be it a horse or a donkey, attack the grocer’s village and a generational enmity and war comes about between these two villages.

The poem ends with something along these lines. (See the note for the actual in Armenian.)  

The fighting had not yet stopped,

Widespread inflation came about.

SNAP – supplemental nutritional assistance program - became scarce

With SNAP scarce, hunger came.

The once flourishing land became desolate.

The upcoming generation, having come of age

Ask each other in horror,

Where did this great general disaster come from?

The U.S. and Iran war reminded me of Hovhannes Toumanian’s “Drop of Honey” prose-poem. Admittedly, it is not over a drop of honey, nor it is over a drop of oil. It is not even over barrels of oil, but oil tankers, and lots of them.

Today I read that Trump has postponed his ultimatum to Iran over the opening of the strait of Hormuz.

In fact, Trump is conceptualizing this war wrongly. 

Martyrdom is deeply engrained in Iranian culture, and deeply rooted in Shiite Islam history and is the cornerstone of their faith.  No amount of bombing, starving the Iranians, decapitating their leaders will force Iran to the negotiation as a vanquished state. 

In fact, with each decapitated leader, Trump laid the way for a new theocratic leadership and helped perpetuate the rule of the Ayatollahs, that was experiencing serious challenges before the onslaught of the U.S. and Israeli attack. A new leadership is emerging, in the sons of the slain leaders who have now amassed unprecedented political capital, to take over the vacant posts and perpetuate the regime.

 The United States has a long way to go to bring some workable normalcy in that region. I wonder if it will ever come. I am afraid that we have set and burdened our upcoming generation to a generational war and to its dire consequences.

***

Կաթիլ Մը Մեղր: https://hy.wikisource.org/wiki/Մի_կաթիլ_մեղրը

 

  

Badarak Reading Course, translating the Holy Greeting -Voghjuyn

Vaհe H Apelian

Badarak Reading Course (II), translating the Holy Greeting passage - voghjuyn.

After attending the first session of Dr. Jesse Siragan Arlen led translation of the Badarak, the Armenian Apostolic Church mass, from the classical Armenian, I am continuing with the second session that started a few weeks ago and is offered on Monday afternoons from 2 pm to 4 pm. 

It is a group translation effort that leads to lively discussion, especially the last two sessions that included translating what I consider the high point of the Badarak, when the choir sings Christ is revealed in us - Քրիստոս ի մէջ մեր յայտնեցաւ. The passage is also known as the Holy Greeting passage – Ողջոյն. The passage appears at 13:4 minutes into the Badarak, and ends at 15:4 minutes, on the 51 minutes long Badarak sung by Armen Guirag. Many consider Armen Guirag’s recording the best recording of Badarak.

Those two minutes long recording start with the Deason saying “Greet one another with a kiss of holiness, and those of you who cannot share in the divine counsel, step out and pray.” ("Ողջոյն տուք միմիանց ի համբոյր սրբութեան, եւ որք ոչ էք կարողք հաղորդիլ Աստուածային խորհրդոյս, առ դրունս ելէք եւ աղօթեցէք:”)

 Until recently I thought that the Deacon is saying - artoun yeghek yev aghotesekt - be awake and pray. But upon reading the Badarak for translating, I learned that the Deacon is saying to the attendees– ar trouns yeghek yev aghotesekt – that is to say, those who will not be in communion with God, are asked to step out of the door and pray, because the faithful are going to be in communion with the message of the Badarak.

After the Deacon’s alert, the choir starts singing what may be considered the high point of the Badarak conveying its profound message; of God being revealed and seated among us, the voice of peace being heard, of the church and faithful being united onto one, of enmity being erased and love being spread. The passage may be translated starting as follows:

Christ has revealed himself in us, that God Himself has dwelt here.

A voice of peace has sounded; the command for holy greeting is given.

At that point, the celebrant priest who is on the alter gives the holy greeting command to a sub-deacon, who in turn conveys the greeting to someone from the congregation who approaches him to receive the holy greeting – the vogjuyn. The person in turn passes to a congregant, who does the same by whispering the holy greeting onto the two ears of another. The choir continues singing the rest of the passage. (see the note for the full text.)

The voghjuyn, the holy greeting - Քրիստոս ի մէջ մեր յայտնեցաւ – Christ has revealed himself in us - does not change, unlike the different greetings we exchange at two major holidays, Christmas and Easter,

Why whisper in the two ears.? 

 I have read that the holy greeting is whispered onto the two ears to make sure that the person received the holy greeting. Others have told me that the recipient of the holy greeting in turn responds to the greeter whispering - blessed is the revelation of Christ.

A group from different parts of the country and from abroad, possessing different levels of command of the Armenian language, some well versed, others learning the language; some knowledgeable of the Badarak, more than others, take part in this course, which is offered free of charge by  the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center  of Eastern Diocese and is ably being led by its director Dr Jesse Siragan Arlen. The course will continue on with its once-a-week session until the end of May.

 

Note:

Սարկաւագ.

"Ողջոյն տուք միմիանց ի համբոյր սրբութեան, եւ որք ոչ էք կարողք հաղորդիլ Աստուածային խորհրդոյս, առ դրունս ելէք եւ աղօթեցէք:

 

Քրիստոս ի մէջ մեր յայտնեցաւ, որ Էնն Աստուած աստ բազմեցաւ:

Խաղաղութեան ձայն հնչեցաւ, սուրբ ողջունիս հրաման տուաւ:

Եկեղեցիս մի անձն եղաւ, համբոյրս յօդ լրման տուաւ:

Թշնամութիւնն հեռացաւ, սէրն ընդհանուրս սփռեցաւ:

Արդ պաշտօնեայք բարձեալ զձայն, տուք օրհնութիւն ի մի բերան,

միասնական Աստուածութեանն որում սրովբէքն են սրբաբան.

Google translation

Deacon

"Greet one another with a kiss of holiness, and those of you who cannot share in the divine counsel, step out of the door and pray.

Choir

Christ has revealed himself in us, that God Himself has dwelt here.

A voice of peace has sounded; Holy Greeting command is given.

The Church has become one, the air has been filled with communion.

Enmity has gone away; love has spread throughout the whole.

Now, the ministers, raising their voices, give blessing with one mouth, to the one God in whom the saints are sanctified.

Remembering Sarkis Mahserejian

Sako Mahserejian and I were friends from our days in Lebanon.  But our friendship was not strictly personal on ideological grounds. It also extends to my parents and to some other family relations. Yahoo email let me know that “Sako Mahserejian and I appeared together on 568 messages between December 2018 and September 2023.” In time, our stands regarding the Armenian government became so divergent that I asked him to give me a break. I could not bring myself to resume our correspondence again. But I valued and retained our bosom friendship. I am sure he did as well.  In lieu of my eulogy, I attached my translation of V. Avakian’s eulogy at Sarkis Mahserejian’s Fortieth – Karasounk.  The remembrance was posted in Aztag Daily today, March 21, 2026. Vaհe H Apelian

 

Tomorrow is the fortieth day of the death of Unger Sarkis Mahserejian, the well-known and beloved Unger Sako; the Sako of “Azdag” who left behind a respectable legacy in the Armenian press and children’s literature.

Unger Sako’s main field of service became Lebanon, where from 1976-1997 he was part of the staff of the ARF Lebanese daily newspaper “Azdag”, first as an assistant editor, then as an editor and finally as a director and editor-in-chief. During the most terrible days of the Lebanese war, Unger Sako, with the courage of an ARF-er, remained on the frontline, like a watchman. He did not leave his post, he did not fail in his duty; on the contrary, he made “Azdag” his first home, he worked and often lived in “Azdag” so that the newspaper could see the light of day without interruption. He worked nights, damaged his health, and wore out his nerves, so that the word and the stand of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, like an infallible guide, would direct our people and lead them on the right path.

Unger Sako remained a faithful defender of the values ​​of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation until his last breath. He was decent and honest. He did not get bogged down in everyday peti issues and gossip. He stayed away from self-serving approaches. He was a man of action. He believed in the importance of collective work and gathered young believers around him, with whom he shared his experiences and skills.

Speaking about Unger Sako means talking about the unique characteristics of the Dashnaktsutyun. It means talking about the modesty, service, sacrifice and unwavering dedication that are gradually missing from our midst. Unger Sako was endowed with all these qualities from the first days of his membership in the ARF "Zavarian" Student Association until he became part of the ARF "Dro" Committee in Lebanon and then the "Rostom" Committee in the United States.

Born in Aleppo, he spent most of his life in Lebanon and spent the last 28 years in the United States. Our dear friend, who settled in the United States, had a large number of readers and followers around the world, who waited for his writing day after day. Often, young people also waited for him, because he developed a rich literature for children and youth.

After settling in the United States, Unger Sako served the National Prelacy for 20 years, became a decent and diligent secretary, an upright and broad-minded person, respected and loved by all.

In recent years, he devoted himself entirely to journalism and submitted hundreds of valuable articles to the ARF press.

40 days ago, he embarked on his eternal journey with a troubled heart, in view of the current sad state of affairs facing the Armenian people and Armenia.

He set out with the anxiety of having tasted all the bitterness of national-party life.But he also set out with the mandate to value the ARF word and to align the ARF work with the word.

The legacy he left, his thoughts, his writings, and especially the bright image of the ARF he conveyed, will forever remain inspiring to all of us.

May the earth rest lightly upon you, dear friend Unger Sako. 

 

Link: Խօսք՝ Քառասունքի, Յարգանքի Ու Երախտիքի (Սարգիս Մահսէրէճեանի Յիշատակին),  https://www.aztagdaily.com/archives/682095?fbclid=IwY2xjawQryBJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETExdldVdm5EQkZrMWpqY1pSc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHnfe6qR0_6G9QwY-4SN4iyZBkzLXTnnfd_ARyMQJmdaH1EiOwYGSQgtewZZM_aem_bLyZg7qUiB28TLzRArU0mA

Kessab March 20 (2014), prelude for an enduring saga

Vaհe H Apelian

Yesterday, March 19, 2026 was the Teachers' Day in Syria, which is typically celebrated on the third Thursday in March. As teachers’ Day goes, it is meant to honor the dedication of educators to building the nation's future. It is not a public holiday, but schools and communities celebrate with special events. In that fateful month, the Teachers’ Day in Syria was on March 20, 2014.

But in 2014, the Kessabtsis celebrated the Teachers’ Day a few days earlier on March 16. Ani Apelian had been the principal of the Armenian Evangelical School for many years. The celebration may very well have happened in their house and Stepan J Apelian, may very well have taken that historic picture.

Today, Facebook alerted me that I had been talking with Stepan on March 20, 2014. The record indicates that it was 3:40 pm, local U.S. Eastern Daylight time. I was in Cincinnati, OH, and I am chatting with my cousin Stepan J Apelian. He is in Kessab, Syria. The local time there is 10:40 p.m. It was an ordinary evening. We seem to be chatting about my friend Hratch Bedoyan who had passed away in 1992 due to a heart attack. Hratch and I had had visited Keorkune and had spent a few days at our family’s ancestral home, with my paternal uncle and his family.

Thursday March 20, 2014 at 3:40 PM

Stepan J Apelian’s comment reads: “ He – Hratch – had a strong sense of humor. He was such a gentleman, RIP. I remember when he came with you t o Kessab and I returned with you to Beirut. When we crossed the border, he stopped the car, stepped out, bowed, and kissed the Lebanese ground.” Yes, Hratch loved Lebanon. His doctoral dissertation at Oxford, England was about the Lebanese political system. He told me that he could not wait finish his studies and return to Lebanon.

I do not know when we ended our conversation, but it sure was later at night.  A few hours later, on the wee hours of the early morning on Friday March 21, 2014, the first day of spring, hell broke loose over Kessab. Heavily armed extremists attacked Kessab from Turkey accompanied by artillery fire. In a matter of hours, the overwhelming majority of some 2,000 or so Armenian inhabitants of the greater Kessab, along with many other Syrian nationals who had found refuge there escaping the devastation of the raging civil war, fled for their safety to the coastal city of Latakia, some 35 miles away. So did Stepan, Ani with their son Hovag, in his early teens, and Stepan’s mother, my aunt Asdghig. They had hopped into their car, carrying with them their personal documents, fled Kessab, with the rest of  the Kessabtsis, to Lattakia. 

That would be it. They would not resume their lives again in Keurkune, Kessab.

Stepan returned to Keurkune visiting their ransacked house and businesses.  Ani, Hovag and Stepan’s mother Asdghig would never return to their home, again. The family settled in California. My paternal aunt Asdghig, Stepan’ mother was born in Keurkune on May 5, 1931. She married my uncle Joseph Joseph in Keurkune, where he too was born. They raised their family in Keurkune and buried their elders there. My uncle Joseph had passed away in May 1988, in Keurkune. My aunt Asghgig passed away on May 29, 2025, in Corona, CA. 

The Muslim extremists wiped a century long hard work by the Kessabtsi Medz Yeghern survivors and their descendants. The blow the Muslim extremists had inflicted on Kessab was existential. Kessab has not recovered

 

 

Հայ, Հայեր, Հայաստան, Հայաստաններ

Ընկերս՝ Գդիգոր Գրաճեանը, Լիբանանէն այսօր ուշադրութեանս հրաւիրեց կարդալ Յակոբ Պալեանին յօդուուածը «Ազդակ» օրաթերթին այսօրուած թիւին մէջ։ Այդ յօդուածին  վերնագիրը ընդօրինակեցի որպէս այս պլոկիս վերնագիրը։

Կարդացի բաւական երկարաշունդ յօդուածը մըն է։ Խօսք կայ «Հայու» մասին, «թաքուն հայերո» մասին- «իրենք զիրենք հայ համարողներու» մասին. խօսք կայ «Հայաստան» ի մասին, եւ «բռնագրաւուած Հայաստանի» մասին, եւ տակաւին այլ եւ այլ բաներ։ (տե՛ս ագոյցը)։

Եթէ Յակոբ Պալեանը կը միտէր հայաշխարհին շփոթ կացութիւնը ներկայացնել, ապա այս իր գրութիւնը աւելի շփոթեց զիս։ Բայց բարեբախտաբար Գրիգորը պատասխան մը ունէր՝ գէթ վերնագիրին։ Կը կցեմ ներքեւը։

«Հայը այն անհատն է, որ կը հաւատայ Հայոց Պետականութեան ու Պետութեան. կ՛ընդունի զանոնք ինչպէս որ են, առանց առարկելու, առանց աւելորդ-պակաս ձաբռտելու եւ անտեղի ու անիմաստ քննադատելու:

Հայեր անոնք են, որոնք կ՛ապրին Հայաստանի սահմաններուն մէջ. կը գործեն, կ՛արարեն, տուրք կը վճարեն, ընտանիք կը պահեն, բանակին կը ծառայեն, երկրի օրէնքներուն կ՛ենթարկուին առանց առարկութեան, Ընտրելու եւ ընտրուելու իրաւունք ունինք եւ լիուլի կը մասնակցին քուէարկութեան: Կը յարգեն ժողովրդավարօրէն ընտրուած իշխանաւորը (եւ իշխանութիւնը), կը յարգեն զիրար, ունին խօսքի եւ կարծիքի ազատութիւն, առանց վնաս պատճառելու երկրի անվտանգութեան ...

Հայաստան միջազգայնօրէն ճանչցուած այն Ազատ ու Անկախ երկիրն է, ուր մեծամասնութեամբ հայեր կ՛ապրին. որու սահմանները ճշդուած են միջազգային օրէնքի եւ համաձայնութիւններու հիման վրայ, ունի իր ուրոյն դրամանիշը, հիմնը, դրօշը եւ Պետական կառոյցները...

Հայաստաններ, այս տեսակ բառ կամ հասկացողութիւն չկայ, չի կրնար ըլլալ, գոյութիւն ՉՈՒՆԻ:

Արդ՝ աւելորդ-պակաս, ասդին-անդին օձապտոյտ դեգերումներու պէտքը բնաւ չկայ, ո՛չ ալ անտեղի կերպով փիլիսոփայելու: ՎԵՐՋ»

                                                ***

Յակոբ Պալեան, «Հայ, Հայեր, Հայաստան, Հայաստաններ«, https://www.aztagdaily.com/archives/681460

  

Կարմիր Ժամուց եւ սխալ դասական մենաբանութիւն՝ կամ ալ........

Կարմիր ժամուց եւ սխալ դասական մեկնաբանութիւն՝ կամ ալ զէնքին պատգամին մեկնաբանութիւնը լռեցուց քաղաքականութեան պատգամին մեկնաոանութիւնը։

Վահէ Յ Աբէլեան

Յակոբ Միքայելեանը, հիսուն տարիներ բեմի վրայ վաստակ ունեցող արուեստգէտը՝ կը ներկայացնէ Արփիար Արփիարեանին, «Կարմիր ժամուց» գիրքին դերակատարները, գիրքին առաջին քանի մը էջերուն հոյակապ ընթերցանութեամբ մը։  Մտիք ըրէք զինք Facebook-ի իր էջին վրայ։ 

  Արփիար Արփիարեանին «Կարմիր Ժամուց» գիրքը, իմ եւ մեր սերունդին դաստիարակութեան մաս կազմեց։  Գիրքին ընդհանրացած ընկալումը եղաւ յեղափոխական գաղափարախօսութեան ներկայացուցիչ Տէր Յուսիկ քահանան, ընդէմ «պահապանողական» գափափարախօսութեան ներկայացուցիչ Հայրապետ էֆէնտին։ 

Գիրքին պատգամիմ դասական մեկնաբանութիւնը եղաւ  զէնքին անրաժեշտութիւնը որ լռեցուց քաղաքականութեան պատգամը, որուն անհրաժեշտութիւնը կը կարդաք գիրքին առաջին քանի մը էջերուն ընթերցանութեանը ընթացքին կամ ալ Յակոբ Միքայելեանին այդ էջերուն հոյակապ ընթերցանութիւնը մտիկ ընելով։ Որպէս եզրակացութիւն այդ դասական մեկնաբանութեամբ, գիրքը աշակերտին կը ներկայացուէր որպէս Հայրապետ Էֆէնտին զղջումը որ ի վերջոյ տեղի տուաւ եւ կատարեց իր նպաստը յեղափոխութեան տալով իր ժամուցը՝ «Կարմիր Ժամուց» Տէր Յուսիկին։

Բայց այդպէս չէ։ Տէր Յուսիկը այդպէս չընկալեց։  Տէր Յուսիկը գնահատեց Հայրապետ էֆէնտին եւ նկատել տուաւ անոր որ ինչպէս իր գիւղը, նմանապէս հայրապետ Էֆէնտիին Օրթագեղը զերծ մնացին ջարդերէն։ Այս իրողութիւնը կորսուած մնաց գիրքին դասական մեկնաբանութեան մէջ դպրոցներէն ներս։ Նոյնիսկ վիճաբանութեան առարկայ իտկ չեղաւ։ Զէնքին պատգամը լռեցուց քաղաքականութեան պատգամը, մոռացութեան իսկ տուաւ զէնքին դիմած Տէր Յուսիկին ըսածը եւ հրացանի մը նկարը զարդարեց գիրքին կողքը։

Կցած եմ գիրքին վերջին պարբերութիւնը։ Կարմիր գիրերովը Տէր Յուսիկին ակնարկն է, իսկ կապոյտ գոյնովը Հայրապետ Էֆէնտիինը։ 

Գիրքը կ՚աւարտի Արփիար Արփիարեանին խորհրդածութեամբ ։

Այդ պարբերութեան ընրթերցումը հաւանաբար ընթերցողին ուշադրութեան կը յանձնէ որ Կարմիր ժամուց գիրքին մէջ՝ զէնքի եւ քաղաքականութեան ընտրութեան հարց չկար։ Այլ կար ամէն միջոց գործածելու իրողութիւնը, տեղ մը զէնքը, այլ տեղ քաղաքանութիւնը, ուր որ պատշաճ էր գործածել այդ, պահելու եւ պաշտպանելու համար հայը Թուրքէն։

Գիրքին վերջին պարբերութիւնը տեղի կունենայ Պոլսոյ Պատրիարքարանին մէջ, արհաւիրքէն ետք, ուր Տէր Յուսիկը եւ Հայրապետ Էֆէնտին կը հանդիպին իրար։

Կը մէջբերեմ տառացիօրէն

Տէր Յուսիկ՝

  —«Էֆէնտի, այդպէս մի՛ ըսէք։ Այն բոլոր հայերը, որ իրենց ազգը կը սիրեն ու անոր օգուտը կը փափաքին, անոնք ամէնքն ալ միեւնոյն կերպով չեն կրնար մտածել։ Ո՞վ կրնայ ապագան ճիշտ ու ճիշտ նախատեսել։ Ու յետոյ, հիմակ ազգերնիս անանկ վիճակի մէջ է, որ տեղ մը օգտակար սեպուած գործը, ուրիշ տեղի մը համար կրնայ վնասակար ըլլալ։ Ու ինչ որ քաղքի մը կործանման պատճառը կը դառնայ՝ ուրիշ քաղքի մըն ալ փրկութիւնը կ՚ըլլայ։ Իրաւ է, որ մեր գեղը ո՛րեւէ աղէտ չպատահեցաւ, շնորհիւ ժողովրդին զէնքերուն, բայց լսեցինք, որ հոս Օրթագեղ ալ բան մը չէ պատահած։»

Հայրապետ էֆէնտին՝

—.«Չէ՛, փառք Աստուծու, հոս ալ մէկուն քիթը չարունեցաւ,» —պատասխանեց Օրթագեղի խնամակալը զգացեալ համեստութեամբ։»

Տէր Յուսիկ՝

—«Բայց Օրթագեղ ալ զէնք չի գործածեցիք, — շարունակեց տէրտէրը։ Այդ թաղն ալ հրամանքներնուդ զգուշաւոր հեռատեսութեամբը փրկուեցաւ։ Կը տեսնենք, թէ տեղ մը քաղաքագիտական վարմունքը կրնայ օգտակար ըլլալ, ուրիշ տեղ մըն ալ զէնքի վարմունքը։ Ամէն միջավայրի հայերը իրենք իրենց կացութեանը համեմատ հոգալու են ինքզինքնին»

Արփիար Արփիարեան՝

 « Մութը կը կոխէր։ Հիւրը ոտքի ելաւ մեկնելու։

—Տէր հայր, ըսաւ, թերեւս երկար ատեն ա՛լ չտեսնուինք։ Աստուած բարի ճամփորդութիւն տայ։ Երկիրդ եթէ բանի պէտք ունենաս՝ Պատրիարքարանին միջոցաւ ինծի հաղորդէ, պէտք եղածը կ՚ընեմ։

—Աստուած պակաս չընէ, էֆէնտի։

Ու էֆէնտին յառաջացաւ դէպի տէրտէրը, եւ անոր ձեռքը համբուրելու համար քաշած ատենը, իր գրպանէն պզտիկ քսակ մը հանեց, մէջը լեցուն ոսկի, եւ քահանային ձեռքը դնել ուզեց։ Անիկայ ետ—ետ գնաց. 

— Կ՚աղաչեմ, էֆէնտի, նեղութիւն մի՛ կրէք։ Ես բանի մը պէտք չունիմ։ Ուրիշ աւելի նեղութիւն ունեցողներ կան։

—Չէ՛, տէր հայր, չէ՛. ա՛ռ. սա քեզի համար չէ։

Ու ծանր, խորհրդաւոր ձայնով մը ցածկեկ, աւելցուց. 

—Ժողովրդիդ համար վառօդ, հրացան գնէ։ Խոհեմութիւնը զէնքին մէջն է։«Որ ո՛չ սուր առցէ, սրով անկցի»։

 Տէրտէրը նուէրն ընդունեց եւ էֆէնտիին երեսը նայելով, ժպտուն. 

—Աս կարմիր ժամուց է,  ըսաւ։

 Ու երկուքին աչքերն իրարու հանդիպեցան։ Անոնց մէջ կը վառէր հայ աղքատին ու հայ հարուստին հազար տարուան ատելութիւնը մահմետական թշնամիին դէմ։»։

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