For You On New Year's Day

Translated from Armenian by Diana Der-Hovanessian

You are real. And because of that, perhaps, I can walk under clouds and rain and not forget the sun.

On the coldest days I remember there is fire somewhere after all.

In the heat of sweltering days I realize that snow shimmers intact on the peak of Ararat.

You are real and because of that I see beyond our room to taste life with two mouths, four eyes.

You are real. And because of you I think the spring to come can have no fall.

– GEVORG EMIN (Kevork Emin) (1919-1998) was the most widely translated Armenian poet of his day. He was born in Ashtarag and educated as an hydraulic engineer but became a succesful poet and writer winning every Soviet literary award of his day. On one of his trips to the US he asked an Armenian-American poet Diana Der-Hovanessian translate his poems. She published his FOR YOU ON NEW YEARS DAY with International Poetry Editions and it was reprinted by Ohio State U. Press.