A Painting of the King Of Iran

etva letva kha … yala roba jil shemmu Iliyyeva. a hakyat duzila. savuniva. shemmet savuni Iliyyeva. roba jiliva. men-kam plash-kameta yale jil gu-Urmi, Spurghan, lena shula machukhe. gami vayela. doste vayele, bitaya betyavena gu-gami. bitayena, b-shenne, b-yarkhe begrashela, bitayena Amerika, duz gu-Khikago. mtayena Khikago.

There was once a very young lad whose name was Elijah. This is a true story. He was my grandfather. My grandfather’s name was Elijah. He was very young. Before the First World War young lads in Urmi and +Spurġān do not find work. There is a ship. He has friends. They come and board the ship. They come, years, months go by, they come to America, directly to Chicago. They arrive in Chicago.

tama sharuyele pelkhana u-bekraya. kha-tlay shenne, balki esri khamsha shenne, tlay shenne varela, a yala jil bekrayele shemmu Iliyyeva, Iliyya Daniyyel. ka-babu zuyze shadurele. men Khikago pelkhanele. mara b-kha-dana bita ki-khayyenva. le akhlenva zuyze ki-jammenva ka-babi shadrenva gu-atra, ki-taniva, ka-Urmi ki-taniva atra. zuyze ki-shaderva.

There he begins to work and study. Some thirty years, perhaps twenty-five years, thirty years go by. This young lad studies, his name was Elijah, Elijah Daniel. He sends money to his father. He is working from Chicago. He says ‘I used to live on one single egg. I did not eat. I used to collect money to send to my father in the homeland.’ He used to call Urmi the homeland. He used to send money.

kha-esri khamsha shenne varena. beddayele kat-bayye gaver. mara le goren lakhkha. gu-de atraze, yane Spurghan gu-Urmi kha-brateva shemmo Helineva. roba shaperta vitela e-dan-gano … nanunti vayela. a-brata roba shaperta vita, a-Iliyya b-surutu biyyole.

Some twenty-five years go by. He knows that he wants to get married. He says ‘I shall not get married here.’ In that land, meaning +Spurġān in Urmi, there was a girl whose name was Helen. She was very beautiful for her time … she becomes my grandmother. This girl was very beautiful. Elijah had fallen in love with her in his childhood.

medre betyavele gu-gami, beddarele al-Spurghan. mara e-dan-kat beddarekhva kalet tope beshmayekhva. plashet kameta shuryeva. kal top beshmayeva. bitayele l-a-yba, bitayele mtayele Urmi. babi gura kha-nasha roba … babi gura Iliyya Daniyyel kha-nasha roba rama, aynu mileva.

He boards the ship again and returns to +Spurġān. He says ‘When we were returning we heard the sound of cannons.’ The First World War had started. He heard the sound of cannons. He comes here, he comes and arrives in Urmi. My grandfather was a very … man, my grandfather Elijah Daniel was a very tall man with blue eyes.

kha-dana suysa khvara bezvanele. jullet khluylet nanuntize zvineva men Khikago. jullet khluyla zvineva, jullet kalu zvineva. bitayele gu-Urmi, berrekhshele kat-nanunti khazzila.

He buys a white horse. He had bought the wedding dress of my grandmother from Chicago. He had bought the wedding dress, he hadbought the bridaldress.He comestoUrmi.He goestosee mygrandmother.

nanunti roba elchiyye etvala, roba elchiyye. savuyni roba shapira lakhuymeva. jibatu melyeva men-danne EpenkilEe khodkare davanaye masalan tanuye esra-dane khodkare etvale, kha-danada saat men-dan-saatte amrikaye gure. gu-da jibu vitela. nanunti har-savuni bekhzayula, men-danne khodkare, men-de-saat khosho bitayela. ka-savuni aslan lela bekhza kat khosho atya.

My grandmother had many suitors, many suitors. My grandfather was very handsome and good-looking. His pockets were full of golden automatic pencils, for example, say he had ten automatic (pencils) and a watch too, one of those large American watches. It was in his pocket. As soon as my grandmother sees my grandfather, she is attracted by these automatic (pencils) and this watch. She does not see my grandfather and become attracted (to him by his appearance alone).

begvarena. begvarena uydale, yumet EKhristmasEla. kha shabta varela, a sapar kala-kokha bitayele palget lele. yumet EKhristmas havar mkhayena, aremnaye vayena, berkhata, Iliyya ku-ruk mara mu vitela? mara vena bektalan. slaba vayele. bektalanna.

They get married. They get married to one another. (Now) it is Christmas day. A week goes by. Then the sound of yelling comes in the middle of the night. On Christmas day they scream, they are Armenians, they run (and say) ‘Elijah, get up and flee!’ He says ‘What has happened?’ They say ‘They are killing us. There is looting. They are killing us.’

Iliyya bitayele nanunti Helina kat-kha-shabta gvirena al-suysa mattuyole. mara tre yarkhe, ya tla yarkhe, gu-talga vayena urkha berrekhsha hal Hayestan, Armanes-tan mtayena Hayestan mtayena. kha men-dan mavat Hayestan mtayena.

Elijah comes. He puts my grandmother Helen on a horse, after they have been married for only a week. The story goes that they journey for two months, or three months in the snow until they arrive in Armenia, Armenia, they arrive in Armenia. They arrive in one of the villages of Armenia.

mara gu-da-urkhet kat-berrekhshekhva gu-da-talga roba nashe yal-sure mattuyeva, akhnan hayyurekhva. yal-sure beshkalekhva chun leva bashure yal-sure lablivalun, ya roba soyate-etva benpaleva hayyurekhva ka-dani labulekhva.

They say ‘On the journey that we made in the snow many people put down their children and we helped them. We took the children, because they did not manage to carry their children, or there were many elderly women who fell and we helped and carried them.’

EAnywayE mtayena al Hayestan, gu-kha-matet Armanes-tanla, tama pyashena tre-shenne. ina shula khachchele roba shula khachchele tama. savuni men-nanunti bitayena gu Leningrad, paytakhtet tama Rusya chun savuni engliz beddayele, tamaze mendila, karkhananet PkonsersaziP.

Anyway they arrive in Armenia, it is in a village of Armenia and stay there for two years. But work is scarce, work is very scarce there. My grandfather goes together with my grandmother to Leningrad the capital there, of Russia. Because my grandfather knew English, and there is something, a workshop of concert artists.

kha karkhana mattuyena savuni vadena guret de karkhana, Pforeman, chun nakshe bashurele kare. tamaze mantuyele savuni. dukkananet khalta shteta ptakhel tama gu-Rusya. khob vazyatte spay vayela. har vazyatte spay vayela, PrevolutionP vayela gu-Rusya. yane PkomunestiP vayela.

They establish a workshop and they make my grandfather the man in charge of the workshop, a foreman, because he is able to read designs. Also there my grandfather is successful. He opens food and drink shops there in Russia. Well, their situation improves. Just as their situation improves, the revolution occurs in Russia, that is communism comes.

shemmet savuni gu-ElistEet kametet danne shemmanele. savuni mu vadele? kulle mendyanu zabunele muble etvalun. karavatte etvalun, mashinet khyuta etvalun. kulle bzayele. kulle mendyane kat zvinele dava videle, mapshurele.

My grandfather’s name is on the first list of the names (of the proscribed). What does my grandfather do? He sells all of his things. They had furniture. They had beds. They had a sewing machine. He breaks everything up. He melts down everything that he has bought and which is coated with gold.

gu-dan muble kattatet sandaliyye gu …mashinet khyuta mlayule dave mara berrekhshekh Yurup. bekhlatena bitayena Iran. Iran lela Yurup. men da gibet Pdarya-ye Khazar betyavena gu-gami men da-gibet yama men nanunti bitayena.

He fills the furniture, the arms of chairs, the sewing machine with gold. He says ‘We are going to Europe.’ But they make a mistake and go to Iran. Iran is not Europe. From the shore of the Caspian sea they board a ship, from the sea shore, and he comes together with my grandmother.

arpa yal-sureze vayele e danta yal-sure khina gure viyyena, gu-Rusya viyyena kerye. b-gami bitayena l-a-ybet Iran. medre berrakena men-tama la-katlivalun, yane mar zuyzena anne. bitayena gu-l-a-yba, Iran, gu-Iranze Sultanabad. suraye roba, suraye men-aremnaye roba gu-Sultanabad, Urmi, Kermanshar, Hamadan burbezzelun.

They had four children at that time. The children had grown up, they had studied in Russia. They go in a ship to Iran. Again they flee so that they (in Russia) do not kill them, that is (because) they are wealthy. They come to Iran, in Iran to SultanAbad. They scattered many Assyrians and Armenians in Sultan-Abad, Urmi, Kermanshah and Hamadan.

e danta malket Iran iva Reza Shah, malka roba sammana malkeva. roba sammaneva. anne b-shenne pyashena tama makh yakhser, suraye aremnaye b-yakhser chun anne iranaye bekhshavena anne EkommunistEina. kate EkommunistE shula leva yave, kulleze keryaneva. keryeva, ina shula leva yave.

At that time the king of Iran was Reza Shah. The king was a very malicious king. He was very malicious. They stay there for years like prisoners, Assyrians and Armenians were in captivity, because the Iranians think that they are communists. (They call) them communists. They did not give them work, although all of them were educated. But they did not give them work.

anne men-dan zuyze kat-muyyeva kharujeva. men-dan zuyze kharujeva. EAnyway, babi kat rabi Daryavushva bitayele. mu vadele? sheklet do malka begrashule. sheklet Reza Shah kat al-kha-dana tanina vele kelya, ka-kha tanina vele bektala. yane tanina dezhmennet atrele manayu. manayet babi aheva. bektalele o-Reza Shah va dezhmen bektalule.

They spent the money that they had brought. They spent the money. Anyway, my father, who was Rabi Darius, comes. What does he do? He draws a picture of that king, a picture of Reza Shah, who (in the picture) is standing on a dragon, is killing a dragon. The meaning is that the dragon is the enemy of the country. This was my father’s meaning. Reza Shah is killing, he is killing the enemy.

roba gurta tablo vitela. bi pastel, EpenkilE kuma grishule. hech-nasha lele beyyara a-shekla ka-malka, kat-Reza Shahile, makhzile, chun bezdayena khoshu la-atya ka-nakkashze katel. bitayena ka-brun-malka, kat Pvali-ahdPile, Mahamad Reza Shah, kat-brun-malkele, ka-davun makhzuyena. men-tarighet dostet baba roba et-koshunaye doste etvale. kha-dana men-danize Alamiva.

It was a very large picture. He drew it in pastel, with black pencil. Nobody dares to show this picture to the king, who is Reza Shah, because they are afraid that he would kill the painter if he does not like it. They come to the king’s son, who is heir to the throne, Mohammad Reza Shah, who is the king’s son and show it to him, by the way of the friends of the father— he had many military friends. One of them was Alam.

shekla beshkalele ka-do-Mahamad Reza Shah kat-brun-malka Pvali-ahdPile makhzuyule. roba khoshu bitayele. roba khoshu bitayele. babize bekhzayule mara mu bayyet? babi kha-nakkashva. e-danta kat maren gu-Iran masala nakkash ParzeshP letvale EartistarzeshP letvale gu-Iran robaze meskineva mar-zuyze leva.

He takes the picture and shows it to Mohammad Reza Shah, who is the king’s son, the heir to the throne. He likes it very much. He likes it very much. He meets my father. He says ‘What do you want?’ My father was a painter. At the time that I am talking about in Iran a painter was not valued; an artist was not valued in Iran. He was very poor and had no money.

k-amesva taniva kha-beta halli. zuyze halli. roba mendyane k-amesva talebva men-malka chun snikeva. ina chun EartistEva ka-mellattet ganu viyyele takhmuna ka-mellattet aturaye takhmunele ka-dan-nashe kat-yakhserna bekhzayeva kat … mu oden, mu la-oden?

He could have said ‘Give me a house. Give me money.’ He could have asked for many things from the king, because he was in need. But because he was an artist, he was thinking about his own people, he was thinking about the Assyrian people. Concerning the people who are prisoners he was considering ‘What should I do? What should I not do?’

ka-malka mara malka havet basima. hakyat ahela kat akhnan men dur nashet diyyan men-do-atret Rusya kat-tiyyena l-a-yba yakhserna lakhkha. iranayena ina yakhserna. la shula yavena, la … e-dan bayyi masalan azi Tehran gari EpassportE avilun, emza odi EpassportE azi Tehran medre masalan ka-tla yarkhe deri medre al-atra masalan Spurghanla ya Urmila deri baraye.

He says to the king ‘King, may you be well. The story is this. We, who have come from afar, our people who have come here from the land of Russia are prisoners here. They are Iranians but they are prisoners. They do not give them jobs … for example when they want to go to Tehran they must have a passport, they have their passport stamped and they go to Tehran, then, for example, after three months they return again to their country, be it +Spurġān or Urmi, they come back.’

malka leva mara beddaya har e danta ka-do Alam vazziret Pdarbar kha varaka bektavele pechat mkhayule. men tama mellattet aremnaye men-suraye azad vayena, kat makh iranaye kabulena. berrekhshena shulane machukhena, khina, azad berrekhsha bitayena gu-da arra. a kha men-dan hakyatteva kat khina bili tanenna.

The king said he had no knowledge of this. At that very moment he writes a document for that Alam, the minister of the royal court, he seals it. It is on account of this that the Armenian and the Assyrian people become free, that they accept them as Iranians. They go and find jobs, and from then on they travel freely in the land. This was one of the stories that I wanted to tell.