Friday, December 17, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Stanley Kunitz: Chariot
where curiosity runs the shop, and you
can almost smell the nostalgic dust
settling on the junk of lost mythologies,
the artist himself stays out of view.
Yet anyone could guess
this is the magician’s place
from his collection of conical hats
and the sprawled puppets on a shelf,
the broken as well as the whole,
that have grown to resemble him,
or the other way round.
Butterflies, gameboards, and bells,
strewn jacks and alphabet blocks,
spindles, old music scores—
the litter spreads from wall to wall.
If you could dig to the bottom,
you might expect to find
a child’s plush heart,
a shing agate eye.
Here everything waits to be renewed.
That horse-age wagon wheel
proped in the corner
against an empty picture-frame,
Even in its state of disrepair,
minus three spokes,
looks poised for flight.
Tomorrow, maybe, at the crack of a whip
a flock of glittering birds will perch
on its rim, a burnished stranger
wearing an enigmatic mask
will mount its hub
and the great battered wheel
will start to spin.
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 12/15/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Contemporary, Stanley Kunitz, USA
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Րաֆֆի Վարդանեան։ Պարտէզը
Հօրս պարտէզին մէջ,
որպէսզի Ուժ տայ բնութեան,
լռութենէն ալ յուսահատ է ։
Անյոյս է
Որպէս սփիւռք
Որպէս ինքնաօտար
Որպէս հոգի ու վկայ եւ
Աքսորի զաւակ։
Կը կոչուին այդ երես լզողները, Ու ծնողքս,
իրենց հաճոյքը կը պահեն
Մեծմօրս գրպանին մեջ։
يعني sabersiz, mon ami
Այս կեանքը բնական չէ
Որովհետեւ ան
Կը ծաղկի
Կմախքի մը կողէն
Այն գերեզմանատան մէջ
Ուր կը Ֆր-ֆրա Հովը - Թուրքիոյ, Հայաստանի ապա, Ռուսաստանի հովը, Ամերիկայի, Չինաստանի, Ուրուկուաի հովը - Նահատակներուն հովը, Զոհերուն, Երգիչին և արհեստաւորին հովը:
Բերնէդ բրցուած լեզուն
ընկղմեցաւ
Մելանին մէջ
ուր կրցաւ
պատմական նիւթեր գրել։
Ծովափին աւազներուն վրայ
Դարերու ընթացքին
Տարիներով
Օրերով
Մրջիւններով,
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 12/11/2010 07:00:00 AM 2 comments
Labels: Contemporary, Raffi Wartanian, USA
Thursday, December 09, 2010
Gregory Djanikian's Podcast in the Kelly Writers House series
http://media.sas.upenn.edu/writershouse/podcasts/Kelly-Writers-House-Podcast_08_Djanikian.mp3
Click on the link to hear this outstanding podcast of Gregory Djanikian reading from his poems about the Armenian Genocide and his family life.
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 12/09/2010 10:54:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Audio Clip, Contemporary, Gregory Djanikian, USA
Monday, December 06, 2010
Vacation
Dear Reader:
The Armenian Poetry Project is on a short research break this week.
The RSS feeds, tweets and iTunes streams will resume mid-month.
All best Lola Koundakjian
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 12/06/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: APP
Sunday, December 05, 2010
Michael Keshigian: HONEYCOMB BLUES
|
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 12/05/2010 07:00:00 AM 1 comments
Labels: Contemporary, Michael Keshigian, USA
Saturday, December 04, 2010
Michael Keshigian: Thief
Two days ago
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 12/04/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Contemporary, Michael Keshigian, USA
Friday, December 03, 2010
Michael Keshigian: Afternoon Barbecue
|
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 12/03/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Contemporary, Michael Keshigian, USA
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Michael Keshigian: MUSIC GRATIFICATION
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 12/02/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Contemporary, Michael Keshigian, USA
Wednesday, December 01, 2010
Michael Keshigian: THE MOON
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 12/01/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Contemporary, Michael Keshigian, USA
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Quote for the Month of November
«Ո՛չ դրամին կիրքը ունիմ, ո՛չ փառքին կիրքը, ո՛չ համբաւին կիրքը»։
Ռուբէն Սեւակ 20 տարեկանին Հ. Նազարեանին ուղղած նամակին մէջ
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 11/30/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Quotes, Rouben Sevak, Turkey
Monday, November 29, 2010
Michael Keshigian: Moonbeam
Every night
a different message.
Tell me tonight
about the translucent bones
of icicles on the gutter.
Their tale is a disclosure
of your stalking.
You enter as a burglar
on the heels of darkness
and leave no fingerprints,
yet cleverly steal away secrets
between the elusive shadows
you create,
some darker than others,
convoluted figures
rummaging in the most remote corners
of the room.
The sleepless await an explanation
but your peering eyes
slip away
when the clouds make you blink.
If you do take something,
no one is the wiser.
The sand in your light
eventually blinds into submission
the most suspicious
who, in the morning, awake inspired
yet unaware of your intrusion,
until the icicles drip
in the rising sunlight.
Copyright Michael Keshigian. Reprinted here by kind permission of the author.
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 11/29/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Contemporary, Michael Keshigian, USA
Poet Michael Keshigian
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 11/29/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Contemporary, Michael Keshigian, USA
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Archie Minasian: The Message
Though I go my way calmly,
humble in countenance,
know, my love,
my soul is loud with rebuke,
my mien restrained,
my desire fierce.
Selected poems, Ashod Press, 1986. Copyright by Helen Minasian.
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 11/27/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Archie Minasian, USA
Friday, November 26, 2010
Archie Minasian: Memories of my Father
the wind spoke to me
I went to the orchard,
leaves came down
of every kind
with busy whisperings
I could not understand.
Selected poems, Ashod Press, 1986. Copyright by Helen Minasian.
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 11/26/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Archie Minasian, USA
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Archie Minasian: The Workers
In my presence
the men work feverishly at their tasks
denying themselves tobacco
and conversation.
In my absence,
like air bags expiring,
they link to comfortable places
and roll cigarettes
and discuss cheap labor.
Selected poems, Ashod Press, 1986. Copyright by Helen Minasian.
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 11/25/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Archie Minasian, USA
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Archie Minasian: The Holy War
We go to the meadow,
a small army,
We are going to gather mushrooms,
and fire wood.
We carry spade and axe
and gunny sacks.
Nothing will stop us.
Selected poems, Ashod Press, 1986. Copyright by Helen Minasian.
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 11/24/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Archie Minasian, USA
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Archie Minasian: Parlor Talk
The guests sat on the new sofa,
they talked of old things
we sat on old chairs
and talked of new things.
They talked of new things and grew old,
We talked of old things and dashed out.
Selected poems, Ashod Press, 1986. Copyright by Helen Minasian.
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 11/23/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Archie Minasian, USA
Monday, November 22, 2010
Archie Minasian - A Tribute
Archie (Khatchik) Minasian passed away 25 years ago on Thanksgiving. His concise, beautiful poems have long been favorites of mine and readers of APP. This week, we will honor Archie's memory with a few more selections of his work.
Lola Koundakjian
Editor and Producer
Armenian Poetry Project
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 11/22/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Archie Minasian
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Լեւոն Շանթ: ԱԼԻՔԸ
Տե'ս, ալիքը մերթ կուռի
կնոջ լանջի պես դողդոջ.
ժանյակով մը փրփուրի
նուրբ սքողված է ամբողջ.
մերթ ալ ողորկ կը գոգնա
ծոցին պես զույգ սրտինքի,
ուր կույս սիրտ մը կը խոկա
աղվոր բաները կյանքի:
ԼԵՒՈՆ ՇԱՆԹ, Երկեր, Սովետական Գրող 1989
Posted by Armenian Poetry Project at 11/18/2010 07:00:00 AM 0 comments
Labels: Armenia, Levon Shant