St. Nerses Shnorhali's historical poem "Lament of Edessa"

Abstract

The paper is dedicated to the peak of the literary work of the notable Armenian spiritual worker of the Middle Ages, the outstanding poetik work of NersesShnorhali (1101-1173) - the poem "Edesa Lament" imbued with a patriotic spirit, written at the request of Apirat, the nephew of N. Shnorhali, theeyewitnessof the defeat of the city of Edessa: in 1144. by deception and with extreme cruelty it was conquered by the amir of the city of Mosul, ImadeddinZangi.
The introduction gives a brief idea of the place of the literary genre Voghb, or lament, in ancient Armenian literature. The core of the report will be the characteristics of the theme, composition and imagery of the poem.
A closer description of the collective main character - the widow Edessa, who laments her misery in Shnorhali's poem, remembers the times of prosperity, curses the cruel opponent, inviting Christians all over the world to mourn with her, hoping that salvation will come through the next Crusade.