The Fragile Boundary of the Word: Valery Bryusov in Vahan Terian’s Translation

Abstract

This article presents an examination of all the poems by Valery Bryusov, a leading figure of Russian Symbolism, that were translated into Armenian by Vahan Terian, one of Armenia’s most lyrical poets. These translations, spanning over a decade, reveal not only Terian’s deep engagement with Russian Symbolism but also his unique ability to reimagine Bryusov’s poetic world through the lens of Armenian lyric tradition. Rather than offering literal renditions, Terian’s translations preserve the philosophical depth, emotional intensity and symbolic imagery of the original texts while transforming them with new rhythms, cultural references and spiritual tones. Through a close comparative analysis, the study explores how key themes, such as solitude, memory, loss, the metaphysics of time, etc. are reinterpreted poetically. The article argues that Terian functions not merely as a translator but as a poetic co-creator, whose works offer a rare example of artistic dialogue across languages, cultures and systems of symbols.