THE ECHO OF PALACE INTRIGUES IN SAYAT-NOVA'S SONGS

Abstract

It is difficult or almost impossible to find direct and overt depictions of courtly intrigues in Sayat-Nova's poetry. This is natural, considering the poet's position and the censorship conditions of the time. However, a deep analysis of his songs (khagher), an examination of the allegories, symbols, moral-didactic emphases used in his imagery, and the overall emotional tonality, allows us to presume that the shadowy aspects of court life, the slander, and the injustices, were significantly and noticeably reflected in his work, albeit indirectly.

The scholarly novelty of this research is that an attempt is made, through systematic analysis, to examine the theme of courtly intrigues in Sayat-Nova's work, without being limited solely to the hypothesis related to love. It is emphasized that Sayat-Nova's "dard" (a term for sorrow or grief) in fact had a broader socio-political subtext, connected to the general atmosphere of the court and the gossip and intrigues woven around the person of the great poet-singer.

By comparing it, for example, with some samples of medieval Persian court poetry, where poets also frequently resorted to allegories to reflect the negative aspects of royal life, one can see certain commonalities between the psychological states of artists creating in courtly environments in different countries and the figurative devices they employed.

Sayat-Nova's lyrical poetry is deep and multi-layered in its content. The analysis in the article demonstrates that the human emotions and reflections expressed in his songs cannot be attributed to a single cause. Through the power of his art, the circumstances of the poet's life are elevated from the personal to acquire a public and universal resonance. The complex and tense courtly relationships, intrigues, and injustices also found their profound and unique echo in his immortal songs, enriching their vital content.