Harry Terhanian.com

aveli lav eh kehss esshem kan teh ehs

It is better to say he is bad than to say he is an ass.

ahntzrev paghkhank gahrgoudeh pernevehtzank

We ran away from the rain and got caught by the thunder.

This proverb expresses the cascading of problems one on top of the other with each worse than the other.

kehsh touratzeen martuh garasee ee dehr guhneh

Literally, the bad neighbor will make the man own many household goods. This means that a bad or unfriendly and ungenerous neighbor will force a man to purchase his own household goods without any hope of borrowing any from his neighbor.

kedeen eenoghuh aleek guh patduhvee

Literally, one who falls in the river will grab (or embrace) a wave. This means the same as the drowning man will grab at straws.

keduh antzah arrhveem metchuh beedee khughduhveem

I crossed the river and now am I to drown in the stream?

This saying is an ironic statement implying that someone has crossed a great barrier or trying situation and now they might be undone by a much lesser challenge or task.

keeoughun havakvee keranuh guh godree

Literaly, a large crowd of villagers gathers, the rafter (or beam) will break. This proverb implies that when a large crowd assembles there is no obstacle that can stop it.

perahnuh vosghor nehdetz

Literally this proverb says one threw a bone into his mouth. It confers the meaning that someone bribed another.

kaylerr gehrek dehren eh mehrerh

Eat wolves for our master is dead.

This is the lamentation of the destitute who have no means of support so their only hope is to eat wild wolves. Such an attempt is virtually impossible so they have very little to look forward to.

keeneein khaghtzuruh zoravohr guhlah

Sweets made with wine are always stronger (in taste).

This proverb implies that those who have changed their religion ( let’s say from Christian to Muslim) are apostates or renegades to their people and are more dangerous. They can be more dangerous because they want to prove their loyalty to their new found religion or faith.

kayleen hed goudeh, dehroun hed goulah

He eats with the wolf and goes and cries with his master(boss or family head)

This is an example of a two-faced perfidious person who conspires with an opponent and acts like he commiserates with the victim.

perneh perahn guhlah keran

When (a rumor is) spoken mouth to mouth, it becomes a big deal( literally a stake or beam)

As a rumor is spread mouth to mouth it evolves in exaggerations and becomes much more or different than the actual truth. The word “keran” in Armenian means a beam, post, stake or rafter. In other words something big. Rumors tend to evolve into something much more than the truth.

hokeen havad pehr vor teemanaas

Bring your soul and faith to tolerate the suffering.

This proverb is used when there is a time of great suffering. The only thing that may mitigate the suffering is spiritual knowledge and faith in God. Due to the severity of the situation nothing else will help. In other words the situation is hopeless and only one’s faith in God will help.

The preliminary spiritual teaching is about the impermanence of material existence. The body of a person is impermanent and will be destroyed in time without any compromise. One needs to know about their personal existence beyond the impermanent body. In Armenian, hokee means the soul. Knowledge of the soul’s existence beyond the body and its eternal nature is the beginning of knowledge. There are three crucial points to be undestood for entry into spiritual life. First, the fundamental difference between the material body and the eternal soul of the individual. Second, one needs to understand the difference between the individual soul and the supreme individual soul or God. We are always subordinate to God and never equal. Third, one needs to understand how to eternally serve God with love and devotion. Lord Jesus Christ is an example of the success attained by understanding and practicing these three steps of knowledge. He explained the difference between the the body and the soul, man and God, and explained about the kingdom of God and how to get entry.

Only by such knwoledge and practice can one mitigate and transcend the miseries of material existence.

ohreenahguh haantzankee (uhs)shtehbelou cheh

The example should not be counted as a mistake. Such a phrase would always preceed the statement of a gross example. It served as a preceeding apology before the gross statement.

dehruh bahheh, dehrdheruh buhsageh

May God protect this child, and may the priest marry the child when grown to maturity.

This is a pari maghtuhk or good wish one may say to the parents of a young child. May the Lord protect your child, and may the priest marry this child in due time.

dard uhnogheen darduh chee bakseer trouble

One who gives trouble (mental anguish to others) never sees an end to trouble (in their own life).

Dard is a word common to Turkish and Persian. It also exists in Hindi and Urdu. It generally means suffering from mental anguish, emotional problems, anxiety, etc. The Armenian equivalent to this word is hok which means mental preoccupation and anguish due to some event, agony, painful feelings. The word Dard has been popularized by its frequent use since long ago in the songs of traveling bards called ahsouk in Turkish or koussan in Armenian. These traveling bards used words commonly understood in Armenian, Turkish, Farsi, Kurdish, Assyrian, Albanian, Greek so that the common people could all understand. Dard is one of those universally understood words. It is used often in songs to express painful feelings.

This proverb expresses the sobering thought that those who like to give trouble to others will suffer the same fate and even worse in their own lives. Causing pain to another living entity is very sinful. If we at all want to live peacefully, we need to be careful not to cause unnecessary pain to others. This principle of nonviolence when genuinely practiced will create an atmosphere of peace.

Another proverb that conveys the same meaning is: pogh ounetchogheen nebadakuh chee verchahnah – one who has wealth never sees the end of his desires. Another version is: hahroustee tzangoutiounuh hahroust guh leenee – the rich man’s desires always remain richly endowed or in other words never ending.