THE PARALLEL STUDY OF THE POEMS “THE NIGHTINGALE OF AVARAYR” BY GHEVOND ALISHAN AND “THE DEATH OF BRAVE VARDAN MAMAIKONYAN” BY RAPHAEL PATKANIAN

Abstract

The present study is dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Ghevond Alishan (1820-1901).
The author observes Gh. Alishan’s poem “The Nightingale of Avarayr” in parallel with R.
Patkanyan’s poem “The Death of Brave Vardan Mamikonyan” with the application of modern approaches and historical and comparative methods. It is noteworthy that the two authors, coming out of their historical and political worldviews and differences of their environments, presented the idea of the Battle of Avarayr differently. According to Alishan, Vardanants history has inspired Armenians for centuries, while Patkanyan mistakenly believed from a pessimistic point of view that his contemporaries had retreated from their patriotic spirit. Nevertheless, despite their advantages and disadvantages, the two works of Armenian romanticism have a worthy place in the panorama of modern Armenian literature