Guzim / Կուզիմ – A Hamshen Song

            To the north of what is now considered Turkey, at the mountainous southern shores of the Black Sea, live the Hamshen people. This ethnic group stemmed from Armenians who converted to Islam after the Ottoman Turks came to rule the region, which may have been what spared them during the Armenian genocide of 1915. From what I’ve seen, they live in a very lush, mountainous and beautiful region, reminiscent of the northern Lori and Tavush provinces in Armenia. It is from this isolated minority that a folk song originated. It’s among my favorite Armenian songs.

            The song is called either Guzim or Kuzim; I’ve seen both spellings. The fact that the “g” and “k” sounds in the Armenian language flip depending on the dialect makes it hard to determine which is correct. But I’ll go with Guzim. "Guzim", in the Hamshen dialect, translates to "I want". Each rendition I’ve heard of this song is different, but I like them all. And I just love the lyrics. Here they are in Armenian. I’ll put together my best English translation. A direct translation is a little hard in places, especially the first couple lines, just because in general poems and song lyrics flow a lot better in their original language.

Ուզում եմ

 Արեգակը չի գնում,

Կարծում եմ խավարել է,

 Այս ինչպիսի աշխարհ է,

 Ամեն տեղ խառնված է:

 Երկինք բարձրանալ եմ ուզում,

 Աստղ բռնել եմ ուզում,

 Լուսնի միջից Քեզ նայել եմ ուզում:

 Ուզում եմ գնալ այստեղից,

Արի միասին գնանք մենք,

 Մութ աշխարհիս վրա

 Լուսին ենք լինելու մենք։

I want

the sun to move but it doesn’t,

I think it has eclipsed.

What a world this is,

Everywhere it’s a mess.

I want to float up to the sky.

I want to grab hold of a star.

I want to watch you from the moon.

I want to leave this place.

Let’s leave together.

Above this dark world,

Let us become two moons.

            Perhaps I can relate to the feeling of living in a dark, mess of a world, and wanting to just be above it all, leave with my true love, and reflect light into the darkness like the moon. I love escapism. And I love the beauty of the night sky, which this song is also about. To think such a remote culture as the Hamshens could create a song with such universal themes. Perhaps it comes from lasting for centuries under the rule of oppressors. Unlike the rest of the Armenians in what is now Turkey, they escaped annihilation. They know what a dark, mess of a world this is. They know only too well. But you don’t need to know the exact context to enjoy and relate to the song.

            Now that we’ve discussed the lyrics, let’s see what happens when music is put to them. Here are my three favorite versions of the song.

Katil

             

This is a very passionate version, and actually the first version of the song I ever heard, before I had any idea it was an older folk song. Mainly it’s just vocals with acoustic guitar and light drums, but when the other instruments kick in, it goes to a whole other level. The animation is a nice touch too. You see the moon and the stars, just like the song. A guy sits alone in the snow smoking a pipe. The sky lights up as the music swells. It goes so well together, really captures the emotion behind the lyrics. You feel the depression of living in a dark world, and then the longing for an escape to something better. Musically, it’s a more modern take on the song. The next two I’m going to discuss take a more traditional approach.

Shake Baghdassarian

             

 This is an upbeat and jolly rendition of the song. You could dance to this version. To me it sounds like Celtic music, with the violin. It makes me think of a renaissance fair. The “oy yoy yoyoyoy” chorus is fun too. It makes you want to join a dance circle. And the video displays the breathtaking landscape which the Hamshens are fortunate to occupy. It gives you a really different interpretation of the lyrics when paired with this music. We’re not focusing on the dark, mess of a world we want to escape from, but on the fun and excitement of floating up to the sky and grabbing a star. There are two different ways to look at the lyrics. This is the more optimistic approach.

Harun Topaloglu

           

This is another passionate and emotional version, a little like Katil’s in tone, but with more traditional instruments, and lots of drum swells which add to the energy of the song. In a way it’s almost like a combination of the previous two, and is perhaps the middle ground between the two ways you could interpret the lyrics. This is perhaps closest to the original version of the song, or at least that’s the impression I get.

            Anyway, I’m sure there are other versions of the song out there I haven’t heard yet. I discovered the song somewhat recently. I’ll be on the lookout for other renditions of the song.