The Armenian
(retold and translated from Armenian famous writer Derenik Demirchyan's article “Hay"
Can you figure out who an Armenian is? What a strange , mysterious creature he is ,how deceptive… He has a restless face , you can't portray it.
By quantity Armenians are almost the smallest nation , by suffering- the largest. Armenia's position is the most unfavorable one , but the Armenians adhered it most stubbornly. However hopeless seemed his future , the Armenian kept hopping . Two things that the Armenian has never faced in life are Luck and Despair.
Now look at this porter. What's this? A mountain of weight on his back , aching badly.... So much strength , so much diligence... All for gathering some money to go and open a shop, just because he wants to be the head of his own bread and business and not somebody's servant. And being an Armenian is already being an Owner.
Crazy and humble like his Davit Sasunci* ,an Armenian is just as suddenly rebellious and brave. When the great danger comes, he suddenly becomes a hero and а furious dragon . He is generally kind , once you caress him , you can then rob him . An Armenian has a talent of making people hate him . If he quarrels with somebody , he is rancorous like a camel. Every Armenian has got an Armenian with whom he is an enemy till death.
Wherever there is a revolution, there Armenians are present. An Armenian is an extremist. Though he has seen the most terrible of all massacres, he hasn’t gained the lesson of the past.
Want to know the best feature of the Armenian? It is the most forgiving nation in the world . It doesn't like to be touched , approached and even be loved. An Armenian is alone ,kind and freedom-loving.
It seems to me that deep within the Armenian’s heart a big wound is hidden and this is the wound of an eagle who has been taken down from high mountains. It flounders, falls on the stone , garbage , gets dirty and the wings get broken. You give him some food ,it doesn't take. It doesn't love neither slavery nor happiness , prefers suffering and freedom instead.
An Armenian is spleenful but doesn’t have stingy hatred , which is an unknown feeling to high mountains . It is the deep sorrow of the captive eagle inside his heart. This is Hayk* who has been deprived of the only condition of his life _ freedom.
“I don’t want anything from you” he says to his offenders “ take away your captivity , your happiness , go and live cheerfully in peace. If you love life , I love something more important and that is Freedom”
*David Sasunci - the main hero of Armenians’ most belovedepos “Sasna Crer”
*Hayk- the ancestor of all Armenians ,a famous Armenian hero who gave his name to the nation (Hayk-Hayastan)
