Dzhivani

(pseudonym of Serob Levonian). Born in 1846 in the village of Kartsakhi, in what is now Akhalkalaki Raion, Georgian SSR; died Feb. 20 (Mar. 5), 1909, in Tbilisi. Armenian folk ashug (improvising poet and singer).

Dzhivani was the son of a peasant. In his songs he painted pictures of the poverty and lack of rights of the people (“Peasant Life” and “The Worker”), severely condemning exploiters, depicted the struggle of the Armenian people against foreign invaders, and extolled the brotherhood of peoples. Characteristic of many of Dzhivani’s songs (“This Night,” “As the Days of Winter,” “The Chamois,” “The Bachelor and the Married Man,” and “The Sparrow-Simpleton”) are the devices of traditional Eastern poetry. Dzhivani’s songs became popular with the Armenian people (“Mother,” “O, Beauty,” and “At the Spring”). They were first published in 1882.