first verse of the poem,
“To The Dead Gods.”
Under a cross glorified by blood
,
Whose arms drip sorrow over humanity at large
I, defeated, mourn your death through the bitter heart of my Art
,
Oh Pagan Gods…
Thought is dead, and Nature bleeds
Only boredom survives, ornate with its crown of thorns…
Man has fallen under the giant heel
Of a Hebrew God, deaf and still…
I am surprised that Anna is so taken by that verse. Christianity is not as big in Armenia today as it was historically. Religion was banned during the Soviet rule. But Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as the state religion, back in 301 A.D. Edik says for several centuries Armenians took the Christian teachings literally, especially teachings like turn the other cheek and love your enemy. So they lost everything to invading armies. He says that is the context in which Varujan’s
Pagan Songs
should be understood.
Anna knows nothing about all that, and yet she memorized that verse. Varujan is intense. I guess it is that intensity that is so appealing to Anna. I make a note to introduce her to
Khev Gago
one day. He is intensity personified, even though often detached. His intensity is his own, unto his own. Edik, on the other hand, is intensity personified and
connected
. His intensity is for all. I’ll introduce her to both, because I’ve made up my mind to befriend Anna fully. I probably can help her; I have a feeling that one day she will need my help. And I think it is possible to build a pathway from my heart to hers.
Chapter Six
Y uri is frustrated as he drives back to Yerevan. He has spent the entire day in unproductive meetings with a couple of Ayvazian’s henchmen in Aparan, who he suspects are now on the payroll of another oligarch and feel no need to cooperate with him. He gets the feeling that they are taking the time to talk to him in order to record his questions, and that those questions will one day come back to haunt him. Ayvazian’s influence in this region is lost, and it is not clear to whom.
He passes through Ashtarak, the capital of the region and
Khev Gago’
s hometown, wondering whether he should stop for a bite. It has been over eight hours since he’s eaten, even though he’s had countless cups of coffee. Aside from the two former employees of Ayvazian, he’s gone to see the head of the Aparan post office, an elderly, soft-spoken and docile man named Artiom, who, around two years ago was Samvel Galian’s boss, when Galian worked at the post office for $25 per month. The postman had no light to shed on either the Galians or on Ayvazian; he sounded as though he descended to Aparan from outer space yesterday. Of course Yuri knows better, because the money transfers to theGalians were made through the post office, but he keeps his mouth shut. In this deadly game, it is as important to understand the lies and the liars as the truth, because the lies, if one understands them, can often reveal more than the truth.
He decides to stop at the restaurant of a hotel in Ashtarak. It is mid-afternoon, the slow period between lunch and dinner, and the place is quiet. There are two men at one of the tables at the front of the restaurant, one in military fatigues facing the door, the other in jeans and a brown jacket sitting opposite him. Yuri immediately senses from their body language and the slight pause in their conversation that his entrance may have meant something to them, and he is pretty sure that the reaction is not because of his unusual looks. He gets the uncomfortable sense that the men recognized him. He’s been asking enough questions around Aparan and Ashtarak to attract attention.
It would be too awkward to leave. He passes them and sits at a table further inside, facing the door, so that now he can see the face of the man sitting across from the one in fatigues. Their eyes meet for a second. The waitress approaches him with a menu.
“Not everything on the menu is
“To The Dead Gods.”
Under a cross glorified by blood
,
Whose arms drip sorrow over humanity at large
I, defeated, mourn your death through the bitter heart of my Art
,
Oh Pagan Gods…
Thought is dead, and Nature bleeds
Only boredom survives, ornate with its crown of thorns…
Man has fallen under the giant heel
Of a Hebrew God, deaf and still…
I am surprised that Anna is so taken by that verse. Christianity is not as big in Armenia today as it was historically. Religion was banned during the Soviet rule. But Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as the state religion, back in 301 A.D. Edik says for several centuries Armenians took the Christian teachings literally, especially teachings like turn the other cheek and love your enemy. So they lost everything to invading armies. He says that is the context in which Varujan’s
Pagan Songs
should be understood.
Anna knows nothing about all that, and yet she memorized that verse. Varujan is intense. I guess it is that intensity that is so appealing to Anna. I make a note to introduce her to
Khev Gago
one day. He is intensity personified, even though often detached. His intensity is his own, unto his own. Edik, on the other hand, is intensity personified and
connected
. His intensity is for all. I’ll introduce her to both, because I’ve made up my mind to befriend Anna fully. I probably can help her; I have a feeling that one day she will need my help. And I think it is possible to build a pathway from my heart to hers.
Chapter Six
Y uri is frustrated as he drives back to Yerevan. He has spent the entire day in unproductive meetings with a couple of Ayvazian’s henchmen in Aparan, who he suspects are now on the payroll of another oligarch and feel no need to cooperate with him. He gets the feeling that they are taking the time to talk to him in order to record his questions, and that those questions will one day come back to haunt him. Ayvazian’s influence in this region is lost, and it is not clear to whom.
He passes through Ashtarak, the capital of the region and
Khev Gago’
s hometown, wondering whether he should stop for a bite. It has been over eight hours since he’s eaten, even though he’s had countless cups of coffee. Aside from the two former employees of Ayvazian, he’s gone to see the head of the Aparan post office, an elderly, soft-spoken and docile man named Artiom, who, around two years ago was Samvel Galian’s boss, when Galian worked at the post office for $25 per month. The postman had no light to shed on either the Galians or on Ayvazian; he sounded as though he descended to Aparan from outer space yesterday. Of course Yuri knows better, because the money transfers to theGalians were made through the post office, but he keeps his mouth shut. In this deadly game, it is as important to understand the lies and the liars as the truth, because the lies, if one understands them, can often reveal more than the truth.
He decides to stop at the restaurant of a hotel in Ashtarak. It is mid-afternoon, the slow period between lunch and dinner, and the place is quiet. There are two men at one of the tables at the front of the restaurant, one in military fatigues facing the door, the other in jeans and a brown jacket sitting opposite him. Yuri immediately senses from their body language and the slight pause in their conversation that his entrance may have meant something to them, and he is pretty sure that the reaction is not because of his unusual looks. He gets the uncomfortable sense that the men recognized him. He’s been asking enough questions around Aparan and Ashtarak to attract attention.
It would be too awkward to leave. He passes them and sits at a table further inside, facing the door, so that now he can see the face of the man sitting across from the one in fatigues. Their eyes meet for a second. The waitress approaches him with a menu.
“Not everything on the menu is
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