The interactive edition · Apparatus
GlossaryԲառարան
Khrimian writes about a village world in its own vocabulary, and some of those words have no English. Where the translation keeps the Armenian word — set in italics — this is what it means. 119 terms from the 1894 text.
How this translation handles Armenian words
- Papik, Tornik, Hayrik, Mayrik are treated as names: italicized with a brief gloss on first use in each file, roman thereafter.
- Untranslatable realia are transliterated in italics with a gloss on first use (gutan, pandukht, vardapet, tanapur, khachkar, kolos, charukh, psak, ashugh, vash).
- REGISTER (revised 2026-07-13, supersedes the former 'King James-adjacent' rule, which was the source of the thee/thou diction now removed). The English is natural, contemporary literary English: period flavor comes from content, not costume. Banned in narration and dialogue: thee/thou/thy/thine/hast/doth/unto, wherefore, whence, thither, hither, alas, behold, hearken, O + vocative, whilst, amidst, 'upon' where 'on' works, 'dwell' for live, 'lament' for mourn, and 'great was his sorrow' inversions. THE REASON IS FIDELITY, NOT FASHION: Khrimian wrote in deliberately plain vernacular Western Armenian so village farmers could read him. Rendering him in Bible English reverses the authorial act the book exists to perform.
- MODERN VOICE (owner ruling 2026-07-21, supersedes the 2026-07-13 fidelity-guard for diction and syntax): the whole English text is re-voiced as warm modern literary English for a young-adult reader in today's parlance. Khrimian's meaning, imagery, names, numbers, structure and emphasis stay exactly; antique delivery does not, even where the archaism is Khrimian's own interjection (the 'alas' license of 2026-07-13 is withdrawn). The humanizer applies to the body under strict meaning parity, and to the editorial apparatus (cards, intros, site copy) without constraint.
- SCRIPTURE, two tiers, and the distinction is load-bearing. (a) Where Khrimian QUOTES grabar (e.g. «Պատուեա՛ զհայր քո եւ զմայր, զի բարի լինիցի քեզ»), elevate the English through cadence, restraint and the prophetic 'shall' in modern formal biblical English, and mark it as a quotation. (b) Where Khrimian PARAPHRASES Scripture into vernacular Armenian so his farmer can follow it (e.g. Gen. 3:19 as «երեսիդ քրտինքով պէտք է ուտես քո հաց»), the English stays VERNACULAR. Translating his paraphrase back into King James is a mistranslation of intent: it erases the teaching act. Keeping the two tiers apart in English restores a contrast the Armenian actually has. Chapter-and-verse in footnotes.
- PUNCTUATION DOCTRINE (2026-07-09 em-dash ruling, extended by owner ruling 2026-07-21): no em or en dashes, no semicolons, and no prose colons anywhere in body text or commentary cards. Use commas, periods, parentheses, or restructure. Colons survive only in footnote definition markers, scripture and verse citations (Mark 4:28), and clock times. Frontmatter notes may contain any punctuation.
- Personal names in Western Armenian pronunciation (Badrig, Toros, Ruben, Shushan, Arax, Hovhannes, Harutiun, Gulabi); place names in standard forms (Van, Etchmiadzin, Ararat, Aragats, Masis, Vaspurakan, Varag, Archak).
- OCR artifacts in the source (» for apostrophe, typos such as Պոռնիկ for Թոռնիկ) are translated as the evidently intended text; every such judgment is logged in the file's translationNotes.
Who is speaking
ՊապիկPapikgrandfather; the book's narrator-persona
ԹոռնիկTornikgrandson; the boy Ruben, addressed throughout
- աղբ
- dung'dung' (not 'manure') for the pastoral register; աղբանոց = dung-pit
- աղբար / աղբէր
- Brother (+ name)'our brother Toros,' 'Brother Kirakos' — village address
- աղէտ (= անգէտ)
- ignorantrecurring source typo, always read as անգէտ
- Այգեստան
- Aygestan'the garden-land,' orchard quarter of the city of Van; footnoted (ch. XVI)
- Աշըղ Մուշօ
- Ashugh Mushoashugh = folk minstrel; footnoted
- առատամն
- share-headobscure dialect plow-part: the stock joined to the esh-beam's hinder end, over whose head the iron խոփ is fitted (chs. Ե, ԺԷ); QA ruling 2026-07-06 — render 'share-head' in both places
- Առճակ
- Archakvillage district northeast of Van
- Արծկէ / Արձկէ
- ArtskeAdilcevaz, north shore of Lake Van; footnoted
- Արճէշ
- ArjeshErciş, north shore of Lake Van; footnoted
- Արտամետ
- Artamettown on Lake Van's southeast shore, famed for orchards and red apples; footnoted on first use per file
- արտամէջ
- balkthe unplowed grass strip between fields
- բախշիշ
- bakhshish (italic)gift/reward (baksheesh); footnoted (ch. XVI wolf episode)
- գզիր
- gzir (italic)village crier-beadle, the headman's summoner and guest-quarterer; footnoted; pun with գզել 'to card wool' in ch. XXIII epitaph (chs. XVIII, XXIII)
- գիւղացի
- villager / village folknever 'peasant' when contrasted with townsman
- գութան
- gutan (italic)the great wooden ox-plow of the Armenian highlands; glossed on first use per file
- դահեկան
- dahekanold Armenian coin-name used for the current silver piece; footnoted (ch. XV sheep reckoning)
- դիր
- dir (italic)the Artske/Arjesh double-plowing husbandry; kept with gloss
- ելխի
- ylkhi (italic)Turkish yılkı — drove of range horses kept by Kurdish chieftains (ch. XIV)
- Երասխ / Արաքս
- Yeraskh / Araxthe river; the wife's name is Arax
- երդիք
- yerdik (roof smoke-hole)glossed inline 'a roof-hole'; the tonir-house's only vent (ch. XVIII)
- երկիր
- the land / the earth'the land' as worked; 'the earth / globe of earth' when cosmic
- երկրագործութիւն
- agriculturethe art/science register; 'the art of agriculture'
- էշ (գութանի)
- esh (italic)'the donkey' — Van folk name of the gutan's main beam; kept with gloss
- Ըստամպօլ
- StambulConstantinople; period flavor kept
- թագւոր
- tagvor ('king')the bridegroom's title in the Armenian wedding, as the bride is queen; footnoted with psak (ch. XXI)
- թան
- tan / madzun-buttermilkmadzun beaten thin with water; rendered 'madzun-buttermilk' (ch. XVII)
- թանապուր
- tanapur (italic)yogurt-and-grain soup; 'the poor man's dish'
- թափթափան
- tap-tapan (italic)fresh-slapped thin bread hot from the tonir (ch. XIII harisa song)
- թեղի / թեզի
- elm(-wood)both spellings in source; heavy wood of carts and the manker
- թոնիր
- tonir (italic)sunken clay hearth-oven; glossed on first use
- Թոռնիկ
- Tornikgrandson; the boy Ruben, addressed throughout
- ժաժիկ
- zhazhik (italic)whey-curd of the village table; footnoted
- լիտր
- litra (italic)old measure of weight/capacity in the Van country; footnoted per file
- խաչկալ
- khachkal (italic)the carved cross-stand of the altar; glossed 'cross-stand' on first use (ch. XIX)
- խաչքար
- khachkar (italic)carved memorial cross-stone
- խարազան
- drover's whip
- Խարբերդ
- KharberdHarput; footnoted on first use per file
- խէր պէրէքէթ
- blessing or increaseTurkish hayir-bereket; translated, loan flavor noted in translationNotes
- խոզակ
- cocoonsilkworm cocoon; translated (source once misprints խոզան, ch. XVII)
- կաթնավար
- milk-plowingthe first, soft spring plowing (Van usage)
- կալ
- threshing-floor
- կամնասայլ
- threshing-sledge
- կապանակ (կափանակ)
- kapanak (italic)the shepherd's felt cloak (Turkish kepenek); source «թախսէ կափանակ» read as թաղիքէ ('of felt')
- կասել
- thresh / winnowVan-dialect threshing term; by context
- Կարին
- KarinErzurum; footnoted on first use per file
- կոչնակ
- kochnakwooden sounding-board struck in place of a bell; footnoted (ch. XXI)
- կորդ
- fallow / unbroken fallow'leave fallow' for կորդ թողուլ
- կորի
- guide-furrowկորի քաշել = drawing the small furrows that lead irrigation water; translated
- կորկոտ
- korkot (italic)hulled/cracked wheat for harisa; glossed 'the hulled wheat' on first use
- կտիր
- ktir (italic)flock-unit of the Van shepherds — 'four ktir of sheep, each ktir a thousand head' (ch. XXIII)
- կօտ
- kot (italic)wooden (or earthen) bowl/tub for milk and madzun (chs. XV, XVII)
- համբան
- hamban (italic)Van dialect: the rich householder of a village (chs. XII–XIII)
- Հայրիկ
- Hayrik'Little Father' — Khrimian's own epithet; lowercase 'hayrik' = papa when the child speaks
- հարիսա
- harisa (italic)the festival dish of korkot and meat beaten smooth; footnoted on first use (ch. XIII song translated as verse)
- հարսնքոյր
- harsnkuyr (wedding-sister)the bride's attendant, 'like a guardian angel' beside the veiled bride (ch. XXI; source misprints հարսնքոր)
- հարօր
- light plow (haror)the one-yoke light plow used on soft/previously worked ground, distinct from the gutan; 'haror' italic on first use
- Հացեաց (գաւառ)
- Hatsyatsdistrict of the Mush country ('of the loaves'); identification tentative, footnoted (ch. XI)
- հացի (փայտ)
- ash(-wood)hatsi = hatseni, the ash tree; Van wood name (the gutan's beam)
- հաւշի
- havshi (italic)Kurdish: sheltered sun-facing hollow where flocks winter in the open (ch. XV, glossed in text)
- հինգ տաղաւար (մեռելոց)
- the five tagavar feaststhe five tabernacle-feasts of the Armenian Church, each followed by a merelots, day of the dead; footnoted (chs. XXIII–XXIV)
- հոգեճաշ
- soul-meal (hogechash)the funeral repast; 'with the wedding-meal men come into the world, with the soul-meal they go' (chs. XXI–XXIV)
- հողագործութիւն
- husbandry'tillage (of the soil)' where the physical act is meant
- հօտաղ
- plow-boythe boy who drives the team
- ղըսմաթ
- allotted portionTurkish kısmet; translated, loan flavor noted in translationNotes (ch. XVI)
- ճմուռ
- chmur (italic)bread-and-butter feast given the sheep-dogs after a wolf-kill (ch. XV, glossed in text)
- մածուն
- madzun (italic)curdled yogurt; glossed on first use per file
- մահտեսի
- mahtesititle of one who has made the Jerusalem pilgrimage; footnoted (ch. XXIII, Mahtesi Agrippas)
- մաճ
- plow-handlealso in the 'wedded to the soil and the plow-handle' passage (source typo մահճ)
- մաճկալ
- plowmanthe man who guides the gutan by its handle
- Մայրիկ
- Mayrikmama/mother, kept in dialogue
- մանիսա
- manisa (italic)striped cotton cloth named for Manisa; footnoted
- մանկեռ
- manker (italic)heavy toothed harrow-beam of the Van country, ridden by the driver to break clods; footnoted
- մատաղ
- matagh (italic)votive animal-sacrifice shared with the poor; 'Cross, be our help' offering; footnoted (ch. XVI)
- մարդագել
- man-wolfwerewolf; the wolf's name for sheep-stealing men and raiders (ch. XVI)
- մէզար
- mezar (italic)the laborers' spread-cloth laid on the ground for meals (ch. XVII)
- մշակ
- laborer / field laborer'field hand' in lists of farm workers
- նախրորդ / նախրահաց
- village herdsman / herdsman's breadkeeper of the common herd (nakhir); nakhrahats = his weekly bread-collection at the doors (chs. XXII–XXIII)
- նաղարա / զուռնա
- naghara / zurnathe double-headed drum and shrill pipe of village weddings; footnoted (chs. XXI, XXIII)
- նշխար
- nshkhar (wafer-bread)the unleavened altar-bread of the Liturgy; glossed inline and footnoted (ch. XXIV, Papik's testament)
- շալէ շալվար
- trousers of homespun shalcoarse wool
- շինական
- peasantas in the preface title 'To the Peasant People of the Armenians'
- շիրայ
- shira (grape-must)italic with gloss on first use; շիրախանայ = must-house (ch. XXI)
- ուսթա
- usta (italic)master craftsman (Turkish); e.g. Usta David the Van joiner
- չարուխ
- charukh (italic)rawhide sandal with thongs
- չուխայ
- (fine) broadclothcity clothing
- պանդուխտ / պանդխտութիւն
- pandukht (italic) / exile'exile for bread'; recurring phrase 'պանդխտութեան երես' = 'the face of exile'
- Պապիկ
- Papikgrandfather; the book's narrator-persona
- պասմա
- basma (italic)cheap printed calico; footnoted
- պէրատեղ
- peratekh (italic)the midday milking-ground to which flocks are brought (chs. XIV–XV)
- պսակ
- crown / crowning (= wedding)the Armenian marriage rite; footnoted on first use
- պսպօր
- pspor (italic)the keen-sighted, deft shepherd (ch. XV, glossed in text)
- Պօլիս
- BolisConstantinople; footnoted on first use per file
- ջախջախ
- jakhjakh (italic)the mill-clapper, 'the mill's rooster,' silent when the stones stop — Khrimian's emblem of the nation's silenced teachers; footnoted (ch. XXIII)
- ջառջառ
- jarjar (italic)threshing implement drawn over the sheaves, named with the threshing-sledge; footnoted
- ջրկալ
- watermanthe irrigation laborer who guides water over the fields; translated
- Ս. Կարապետ / Գլակայ վանք
- Surb Karapet / monastery of Glakthe great pilgrimage monastery of St. John the Forerunner near Mush; footnoted (ch. XVI)
- սազ / քեման
- saz / kemanthe ashugh's lute and fiddle; source alternates սազ/սաղ; the elegy's չնկուռ read as chongur, a folk lute (ch. XXIII)
- վաշ
- vash! (italic)cry of delight; glossed on first use
- Վասպուրական
- Vaspurakanhistoric province around Lake Van; footnoted on first use
- Վարագ
- Varag / Varagavankmonastery near Van; source once prints Վարազ
- վարդապետ
- vardapet (italic)celibate priest-doctor licensed to preach
- տանուտէր
- village headmantanuter; translated, not transliterated
- տարեկան (հաճար)
- rye (hachar)the villager's grain; source's parenthetical dialect gloss kept (ch. XIII)
- տափան
- leveling-dragtranslated, not transliterated
- տէրութիւն
- the statethe Ottoman government; never 'the Lordship'
- ցանուոր / սերմնացան
- sower'seed-man' where the dir seed-dropper is meant
- փաթաթէս
- potatosource's form of patates; translated plainly
- փթիր
- ptir (thin griddle-bread)village flat-bread named with women's daily labors (chs. XIV, XXIV)
- քաղաքացի
- townsman / townsfolk / city folkNOT 'citizen'; քաղքցի likewise
- քաղհանք
- weedingtranslated
- քաշ
- kash (italic)local unit of weight in the Van country (milk, cheese, wool); footnoted per file
- քառէշտ
- four-tined forkwinnowing fork; dialect term, rendered by sense
- քեափանակ
- kyapanak (italic)sheep-sickness of wet meadows — evidently Turkish kelebek, liver-fluke rot; footnoted (ch. XV)
- Քէշիշ Կէօլ
- Keshish Göl'the Priest's Lake' — reservoir east of Van; footnoted
- քիլա
- kila (italic)Ottoman grain-measure; a kila of ground = plot sown with one kila of seed; footnoted
- քօլօզ
- kolos (italic)peasant's felt cap
- օճախ
- hearth'house and hearth' for տուն եւ օճախ
- օրան
- strewn sheavesgrain spread on the threshing-floor
- ֆէս
- fez'scarlet fez' for ալ ֆէս
Compiled during the translation of the 1894 text by the ARF Shant Student Association.