Vahan Teryan February 9, 1885 –January 7, 1920) was an Armenian poet, lyrist, and public activist. He is known for his sorrowful, romantic poems, the most famous of which are still read and sung in their musical versions.
Armenian Poem Terian was born in the Gandza village of the Armenian Javakhk region (currently Georgia). Schooled in Tiflis, he then studied at the Lazarian College in Moscow, where he was exposed to symbolism and joined the Russian Social Democrats.
He was jailed by Czarist police for his political activity. He is mostly known for his poems dedicated to autumn and love.
That’s why Teryan is known as the “Singer of Autumn” in Literature. He published his first book of poems, “Dreams at Dusk”, in 1908, which made him an immediate sensation, Hovhannes Tumanyan called him the most original lyric poet of his age.
He later published “Night Remembrance”, “The Golden Legend”, “The Return”, “The Golden Link”, and “In the Land of Nairi” (where he substitute the word ‘Nairi’ for each instance where the word ‘Armenia’ would have suited), and “The Cat’s Paradise”.
His poems are filled with images of rain, mist, pallid fields, and shapeless shadows, symbols of sorrow, despair, and eventually, peace. Works in Armenian 1903-12, Dreams of The Dawn, 1905-1908, Crown of Thorn, 1908-1911, Night and Reminiscences, 1908-1911, Golden Tale, 1911, Return.
He died in Orenburg of tuberculosis shortly before his 35th birthday. Each year there is a commemoration of his life in the Javakhk region at Gandza village where he was born
