Lecture 2 — The Sharakan and the Origin of Sacred Poetry

Описание: This lecture from November 3, 2022 is part of the St. Nersess Fall 2022 Public Lecture Series, taught by Dr. Jesse Siragan Arlen. In this series, Dr. Arlen introduces us to Medieval Armenian Poetry.

Series description:
After the invention of the Armenian alphabet in the fifth century, the early centuries of Armenian literature are dominated by prose: theological and philosophical treatises, histories, hagiographies, commentaries, and the like. Nevertheless, the premodern Armenian literary tradition also boasts a vast and dazzling array of poetic texts, which are generally less well known to scholars and novices alike. This two-semester public lecture series will introduce the medieval Armenian poetic tradition, including sharakans, odes, lyrics, laments, poetic prayers, as well as love and wisdom poetry. This vast array of material spanning over ten centuries was composed both in the classical literary idiom as well as a form of the language closer to the vernacular, known as middle Armenian. Attention will also be paid to interchange and contact with neighboring literary and poetic traditions, such as Greek, Syriac, Persian, and Arabic.

Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1I...