“Maratouk“ ensemble - “Kovkasi qajer” (The Courageous of Caucasus) Armenian folk song

Armenian Fedayi song “Kovkasi qajer” (The Courageous of Caucasus) performed by ‘’Maratuk’’ folk ensemble. Artistic director: Mkrtich Sargsyan (Mgro). For Armenian text look at this address: Читайте на русском языке: The video is taken from the YouTube page of the Armenian first channel, from one of the episodes of “Erg Ergots’’ (Song of Songs): The song contains a quatrain in which it is told that one morning on waking up the Armenian fedayis see that they are surrounded by an army of 4000 Turkish soldiers and begin to fight against them, being only 30 in number. This is an echo of the Battle of Areqelots monastery. In November 1901 a group of 25 fedayis come to Areqelots monastery under the command of Gevorg Chaush and Andranik. Together with his soldiers Sebastatsi Mօurad joins them as well. There were also 20 peasants, several clergymen and about 50 orphans in there. The Turkish government learns that there are fedayis in the monastery and soon an army of 4000 soldiers besiege it. Ten days long the Armenian courageous fedayis resist all the attacks. On the eleventh day the Turkish government tries to negotiate with them though the mediation of Archimandrite Khosrov, the head of the Moush diocese, and Archimandrite Hovhannes, the head Araqelots monastery. The government says they are ready to make concessions. The fedayis dictate their terms: 1. To let free political prisoners. 2. To punish the destroyers of Sasoun and Moush and compensate the damages caused to Armenians. 3. Reform the tax collection system. The Turkish government refuses to meet these terms and tries deceitfully arrest and break them. But in the night of the 21st day (in november) the Armenian fedayis, covered with white blankets, in conditions of snow and storm come out of Araqelots monastery and disappear without being noticed. In the morning Ferikh Mouhammad Ali pasha sees that the doors of the monastery are open. He rushes in with several solders and sees that there are only the religious and orphans there. They say that the disgraced pasha didn’t hide his admiration for the fedayis’ impudence and cleverness. Only two Armenians died in the battle of Araqelots monastery, and the Turkish part lost seven soldiers and some were frostbitten. After this battle the spirit of liberation spread allover the Armenian-inhabited areas in the Ottoman Empire, everywhere fedayis were welcomed with enthusiasm, and people were willing to support them: this, too, is reflected in this song. In it, the courageous men in Caucasus are urged to go to Moush and Sasoun where their sisters and brothers wait for them. Here Andranik fights against the enemies of the Armenian people and it is necessary to help him, forming fight groups. In another quatrain Armenian girls and women are urged to sell their jewelry and buy cartridges. Anyway, their state of living under the Turkish rule didn’t let them wear their jewelry freely because either Turks or Kurds could rob them. With that money they could buy weapons and after the liberation could create material and spiritual values and use them without fear. Then the song is full of hope that the “spring’’ is coming for which Andranik has started a war against darkness. The sultan has promised 1000 gold coins to the person who would kill Andranik and take the latter’s head to him. The English translation by Ani Toroyan. The Armenian text of song in English letters: Kovkasi qajer, gnanq Moush, Sasoun, Mer qouyr-yeghbayrner mez en spasoum: Andranike, qaj fidayinerov, Sharzhvoum e araj Sasna koghmerov, Soultan sarsapats, tchare ktrvats Hazar voski e glkhin khostatsats. Kovkasi qajer, khmber kazmetseq, Qaj Andranikin ognoutyan haseq. Arats ir shourje fidayiq outsoun Maqrets tchanaparh depi Moush, Sasoun. Soultan sarsapats, tchare ktrvats Hazar voski e glkhin khostatsats. Kovkasi qajer, aryoutsi dzager, Hetseq dzer dzier, kapeq dzer zenqer. Orhnyal tikinner, Hayots oriordner, Tsakheq dzer zarder, gnetseq zenqer. Soultan sarsapats, tchare ktrvats Hazar voski e glkhin khostatsats. Mot e garoune, shoutov kbatsvi, Hayots qaji dzayny noren klsvi, Andraniky qaj kangnel e araj, Khavarin enddem kouze paterazm Soultan sarsapats, tchare ktrvats Hazar voski e glkhin khostatsats.