ARMENIAN LITERATURE

COMPRISING

POETRY, DRAMA, FOLK-LORE, AND CLASSIC TRADITIONS


TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH FOR THE FIRST TIME

WITH A SPECIAL INTRODUCTION BY

ROBERT ARNOT, M.A.


REVISED EDITION


1904





SPECIAL INTRODUCTION

The literature of ancient Armenia that is still extant is meagre in
quantity and to a large extent ecclesiastical in tone. To realize its
oriental color one must resort entirely to that portion which deals with
the home life of the people, with their fasts and festivals, their
emotions, manners, and traditions. The ecclesiastical character of much