Hovhannes Tumanyan: The Conquest of Fort Temuk
The Conquest of Fort Temuk
Translated from Armenian by Monica Toumani
Published in Ararat Magazine, August 26, 2010
The Conquest of Fort Temuk” by
Hovhannes Toumanian
by Monica Toumani | August 26th, 2010
about the author Monica Toumani:
Monica Toumani a graduate of Mariamian High School, Tehran, Iran, enjoyed Armenian literature and specially Toumanian, no relation. In translating Toumanian, Monica's goal was to share the beauty of Armenian Literature with the young generation. Monica has lived in the United States over 40 years. She is currently Director of Finance at Arts Council Silicon Valley.
Hovhannes Toumanian, one of the greatest writers in Armenian literature, was born in 1869 and died in 1923. Toumanian was known as the leader of the writers in his time and was given that title by his peers. He was highly respected by his peers and the intellectual class of the time. Most of his poems and stories had a strong underlying moral theme. His mission was to help educate his countrymen so in spite of all their difficulties, they could live wisely and justly. Toumanian produced a huge literary collection. The most extensive of Toumanian’s numerous epic works, which occupy a unique place in his oeuvre, is the ballad “The Conquest of Fort Temuk.” Constructed with great skill, in this ballad Toumanian presents the character of the noble and brave Armenian prince Tatoul, who despite the fact that Nadir Shah has a much bigger army, is not afraid to bravely go all out and fight, to protect his people. The psychologically delicate and compelling descriptions of the events in the poem, the colorful images and the marvelous musical rhythm make the ballad outstanding and endow it with high artistic qualities.
Prologue
Come gentlemen, please lend an ear,
To this gypsy who’s lived long.
You fair ladies and you young lads
Grasp the story of this song.
We’re in this life but a short time,
That’s been given to all born.
We come to life, we start alike
And each takes a different turn.
Laughter and love can last but short,
Beauty and wealth flash and go.
Demise is ours; we are mortals,
None but our deeds will later show.
Yes, achievement is immortal,
It will echo long and far.
Glorious is the soul who’s remembered
Long after his name is called.
Disgrace also can live quite long,
Damned is the soul who bears that.
Woman or man; mother or child,
Tarnish remains loud and strong.
When a deed is good,
It melts the heart.
It reconciles,
It brings smiles.
Hark my dear friends
I’ll tell it all …
Let my story
Guide your path.
Nadir 1 , the king, called on his men,
Called on them a million and one,
Came, surrounded the fort Temuk 2,
Brought darkness and fear to everyone.
“You proud Tatoul 3 ,” called the great king,
“You thought yourself unbeaten …
Well, here I am, I’ve brought your doom,
Come and meet me, out of your room.”
“Ay! do not brag, you pompous Shah,
I am a tower, as you hear.
Clouds may pass by but all in all
The Mountain always will stand clear.”
So, in a flash, he called his braves,
Put on his sword of solid built,
Mounted his horse of noble breed,
Charged to the field with pride and grit.
And forty days and forty nights,
The battle went without pause.
So many braves fell to their death,
Uncountable to each side.
Iran, Turan, have come to fight,
Tatoul persists to stand tall.
The other side is going down,
The fort remains without fall.
Each night, victorious, Tatoul comes home
To embrace the flesh of his love,
His beautiful, fair, black-eyed wife,
The engine behind his drive.
“Such a lady, my lord, good king,
If I, the balladeer, had,
I would become strong as the beast
And fight giants very glad.”
“She’s enchanting, she is fire!
Her eyes, when she favors a smile,
Brings out the sun, even at midnight,
Turns the darkness into light.”
“Her lips smell like roses sweet,
Those lips, if they call a cheer,
No man, no king would run from fight,
The prize is much more than the fear.”
And such heard the Shah, the praise of the dame,
Known for eyes as deep as the skies.
Her beauty, they said, is unmatched in life,
Every prince in the land wanted her as wife.
“If Tatoul’s the one, you care to conquer,
This femme is the means, if you could appease.
She means more to him than life of his own,
Without her he’s nothing, no might, no power.”
It’s been said by none but the giant of Iran,
Firdausi 4 the great, poet to the throne …
“There are but two ways
To down a brave man,
They are nothing but
First woman then wine.”
“When the man is strong, standing two miles tall
How can he be downed?
You choose either one
Yes, woman or wine.”
“He can fly so high, that mighty horseman,
Who can pull him down from heavens above?
There are only two,
Try woman or wine.”
“He can fight them all, even Rostam Zal 5,
What can destroy him?
Yes, you guessed it right,
Woman or wine!”
And so sent the Shah, the sly old player
To lure this beauty with his artful notes.
“Promise her my wealth, promise her my name.
Sing my love to her, tell her she’ll be queen.”
Where a mighty king cannot enter in,
It is music that finds a way within.
And so one day soon, the old balladeer,
Entered Temuk Fort to sing for those near.
The battle persists, in the valleys near,
Tatoul standing tall against the big king
Soldiers are falling on sides here and near,
A river of blood flows out like a spring.
While men are fighting fearlessly around,
The balladeer is singing his stories inside.
The old man’s counting the might of this king,
His power, his wealth, his majestic stride.
The woman’s dazzled by songs of grand love,
The woman’s puzzled by her greed, all above.
She is listening to the melody
But inside, she feels chaos in her body.
Her beaming eyeballs are no longer bright,
The smile on her face has darkened to night.
To be the queen! To sit with the king!
What about shame? Isn’t that a big sin?
“Oh my lady, you have been had!
Your misfortune, it makes me sad!
You were not made to live a simple life,
The majestic throne is yours to win and have.”
Over and over, she hears of the grand,
She cannot resolve, her greed is so strong.
She can no more sleep, night is very long
She feels so lonely, she has lost her tongue.
It was the day of great victory for Tatoul
They returned happy, singing of glory.
Tatoul put his strong mighty sword aside,
Called for a great feast, to show off his pride.
Mistress of the fort went out of her way,
Ordered the best spread, wine of many day.
“You deserve the best, my heroes esteemed
Please, do not spare now, bring all barrels deemed.”
She kept pouring more and cheering them on,
“Here, my dear brave friends, have another one.
And this one to you, let’s drink this fine brew
Have another one, please, fill up anew.”
“Now, let’s not forget, our men who have gone,
They’re now in heaven, gazing upon us on…
This is for the one who gave us the wine,
This one’s for the one who brought this music on.”
“And now my dear men, this wine is so fine,
Blessed are we all to sit here and dine.
The night is still young, please do not despair,
Come, lift your glasses up, cheers everywhere.”
It was dawn at last; and all fell to rest
Tatoul and his men, smashed to the best.
The dame was awake; she had work to do,
The owls outside kept calling “hoo-hoo”!
When the sun came up, dazed, she looked around
This could not be real, such evil, such wrong.
She lowered her head and started to cry,
The clouds gathered round, to grieve in the sky.
The giant Tatoul was dead in his bed!
With all of his braves his men and his friends.
And eternally, they remained asleep …
Not having a clue of betrayal so deep.
Nadir, reclining on the very chair
Where Tatoul rested last eve with his fair
Glancing around, still full of the spread,
Could almost hear them singing loud ahead.
And he is staring at his accomplice …
This beautiful woman, who seems not in peace.
“Oh black-eyed beauty, tell me please?
Did Tatoul to you not appease?”
“Did he not love you? Did he not indulge?
Did he not provide you with emeralds large?
Answer me, you shrew,
How could you this do?”
“No … , he was good, he was noble …
He had honor, he was loyal!
He did not build this grand fortress,
By deception and fraud, I profess!”
“He was a warrior, proud and strong,
He deserved to live a life very long!
He protected the weak,
Unlike you, never used the meek” …
Nadir was angry, he let out a roar
Called for the executioner, to come to the floor.
The man came all dressed in red,
Grabbed the woman and pulled her head.
He took her to the high peak, on the hill,
And pushed her to death, screaming with a thrill.
The wolves came by and ate her heart;
The gulls came out and snatched her sight.
That black-eyed beauty who had no match,
Vanished from this earth without any catch!
Just her tale remained
As you heard me tell …
The Shah also passed, once mighty and strong,
He left all behind, his wealth is gone long.
The only thing, now, that belongs to him,
Is this tale as you heard me redeem.
Epilogue
Come gentlemen listen to me,
This old gypsy who’s lived long.
You fair ladies, and you young lads
Heed carefully my sad song.
We’re in this life as invitees,
Since the moment we are born.
We come in, all same, to march through life,
Before we know, we’ll be gone.
Laughter and love can last but short,
Beauty and wealth flash and go.
Demise is ours; we are mortals,
Just your deeds stay, you know …
Notes
- Nadir Shah was a famous king of Iran.
- Fort Temuk was a stronghold in Armenia.
- Tatoul was a brave prince of Fort Temuk.
- Firdausi was a famous poet and historian in Iran.
- Rostam Zal is a strong legendary hero in Iran.