Mkirtich Achemian () (1838–1917) was an ethnic

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

n poet.

Biography

Achemian was born in 1838 in

Ortaköy Ortaköy (, ''Middle Village)'' is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Beşiktaş, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 9,121 (2024). It is on the European shore of the Bosphorus. it was originally a small fishing villag ...

, a suburb of

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

and received his early education in a local Armenian school. Beginning in 1852, he continued his education at the Moorat-Raphael College in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

where he developed his literary talent under

Ghevont Alishan __NOTOC__ Ghevont Alishan (; , 1820 – , 1901) was an Armenian Catholic priest, historian, educator and poet. He was a prolific author throughout his long career and gained recognition from Armenians and European academic circles for his contribu ...

. He returned to Constantinople in 1858 and started working for the State Telegraph Administration, he kept this job for most of his life. Achemian's poems were published in various newspapers and periodicals, and were eventually collected into three books. ''Smiles and Tears'' (Ժպիտք եւ արտասուք, 1871), ''Light and Shadows'' (Լոյս եւ ստուերք, 1878) and ''Spring Winds'' (Գարնան հովեր, 1892). In 1908 he published all three books as one volume, with additional poems that he had written since 1892. He also published a collection of translated poems, ''Diverse Translations'' (Զանազան թարգմանութիւնք). Achemian's poems are written in refined

Modern Armenian Modern Armenian (, ''ashkharhabar'' or ''ašxarhabar'', literally the "secular/lay language") is the modern vernacular (vulgar) form of the Armenian language. Although it first appeared in the 14th century, it was not until the 18-19th centuries th ...

, they are delicate and reach in rhymes that impart a certain musicality. He was a poet of the romantic school, but kept traces of classicism. He was a renowned poet in his time, but he was unwilling or unable to change his style of poetry which lost its flavor in the 1880s.The Heritage of Armenian Literature: From the Eighteenth Century to Modern Times By Agop Jack Hacikyan, Gabriel. Basmajian, Edward S. Franchuk (Page 362)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Achemian, Mkrtich 19th-century Armenian poets 1917 deaths Armenians from the Ottoman Empire Poets from the Ottoman Empire Writers from Istanbul 1838 births Ethnic Armenian translators 19th-century translators