“Sasna tsrer” ensemble – Araqel, Moushegh (Armenian folk song)

English translation is by Ani Toroyan (Անի Թորոյան)․
– This website enables the visitors to tell memories of events happened to their ancestors. Moushegh Shahinyan’s granddaughter Mariam told some details. The Shahinyan family lived in the Araskh village at Moush. At the end of the 19th century the head of the family was Mourad Shahinyan. His elder son was Hovhannes, daughter’s name was Khanasly. The younger son Moushegh was born in 1885. He was very small, when one day taking food to his elder brother working the fields, sees that 10 Turk soldiers had attacked his brother and having had an unequal fight his brother was killed. Many years later Moushegh becomes a fedayi and fights under the command of Zoravar Andranik (Zoravar means general).
And Araqel was born in 1872 in the province of Moush. He joins the squad of Chartar from Khlat who was already a very popular fedayi-commander at that time due to his uprightness and courage. Among many others, Araqel and Moushegh too became Chartar’s comrades-in-arms.
In 1890 this squad settled on the slopes of the Mount Khatavina. There number of members was so high that it was a threat to Kurdish unorganized gangs and the Turkish organized army. The latter decide to attack the squad and get rid of it in one blow. One evening they suddenly sieged the squad. A terrible fight occured in which Araqel exceled. When the sun set Chartar, Araqel and Moushegh came down from the mountain, moved towards Manazkert and settled in an half-destroyed mill. Turks and Kurds attacked the mill. Though they excelled Chartar’s squad in number they were defeated and had to retreat. Only 5 or 6 of the Armenian fedayies were killed and more than 100 enemy soldiers. That fight has gone down into history as Mill fight. Armenian fedayies came out of the mill at night and went up the Mount Nemrout. Here, too, the fights went on two days and again ended with the Armenians’ victory.
Ordinary people have composed a song on this fight. It’s the famous “Araqel, Moushegh.” The song tells of the above mentioned events, the descending from the mountains, settling in the mill, etc. Araqel appeals Moushegh, calling him ‘my brother’, telling to dance a dance and he and his people will move forward by Lord’s holy will. By dance we should understand backing them like mountains. Then he compares the Armenian fedayies with lions and the Turks with ravens because they have already defeated the Turks and Kurds and returned to the mill. Then the song says Moushegh returns to a village and calmly rests at a house. Kurds deceitfully attack, take him captive and bring to their pasha. Moushegh’s friends call one another: “Honest friends let’s take a revenge.”
Moushegh is freed and continues the struggle together with Andranik. In 1915 he goes back to his native village finding it in fire and the people killed, including his parents, and his sister burnt. In Western Armenia Moushegh takes part in the struggle against Turks and Kurds up to 1920, then with Andranik and others goes to Eastern Armenia. Next year he gets married. He was nostalgic for his native village till the end of his life that’s why he moved to a frontier village so that in case the border opened he could go back. Moushegh Shahinyan died in 1963 with nostalgia and hope in his heart. And of Araqel his granddaughter Asya Gevorgyan has told to the newspaper “Hay Zinvor” (N 43, 2013) that he was killed while working in the field, being shot in the back.
The English translation by Ani Toroyan.

The Armenian text of song in latin letters:

Araqel, Moushegh lerneruts ijan,
Averak jaghats, hogi jan, eghan otevan.
Erkinq togh shnorhe nrants parq, psak,
Menq el var pahenq, hogi jan, nrants hishatak.

De zarkeq, zarkeq,
De zarkeq qaj qaj,
De zarkeq, tgherq,
De zarkeq qaj qaj.

De zarkeq, zarkeq,
Nshan i chakat.
Tiroj sourb kamqov, hogi jan,
Menq kertanq araj.

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