literature burst the bonds imposed upon it by ecclesiastical domination,
the poetic spirit of the Armenians has found expression. It is rich in
oriental passion and imagery, brilliant in expression, and intensely
musical. But through all the poems we are reminded of the melancholy
strain that pervaded the exiles of Jerusalem when "by the waters of
Babylon" they "sat down and wept." The apostrophe to Araxes reminds us
of the trials of Armenia, of her exiled sons, of her wasted land, and of
the perpetual fast she ever keeps in mourning for her children.

The comedy of "The Ruined Family" and the pathetic story of "The Vacant
Yard" are also of the post-monastic era. In the comedy we gain an
insight into the jealousy and the pride of life that pervaded then as
now the middle walks of life. Its Ibsenesque quality is very striking.
The persistent and human struggle of the mother to gain a high position
in life for her daughter through marriage, and the agonizing of the
father to get together a suitable dower for his daughter, together with
the worldly-wise comments and advice of the old aunt, are so true to
modern life that one realizes anew the sameness of human nature in all
climes and ages.

"The Vacant Yard" gives us a charming picture of Armenian life. The
people are depicted with an impartial pen, subject to the minor crosses
and humors of fate, having their ups and downs just as we do to-day, but
the intense local color that pervades the story holds one to the closing
line.

As a people the Armenians cannot boast of as vast a literature as the
Persians, their one-time conquerors, but that which remains of purely
Armenian prose, folk-lore, and poetry tells us of a poetic race, gifted
with imaginative fire, sternness of will, and persistency of adherence