Rupen Chilingirian was born on February 28, 1885, in the village of Silivri (Eastern Thrace), near Constantinople. He received his elementary education at the Askanazian school and then at the lyceum of Bardizag until 1901, when he moved to Constantinople. He graduated from the prestigious Berberian School in 1905, when he published his first poem, “Parting Words,” and adopted the pen name Rupen Sevag (sevag meaning “black eyes”). He would become mostly known as a lyrical poet, characterized by freshness and precision of language. He contributed to many publications in the Ottoman capital and abroad.

Sevag pursued medical studies at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland). The double massacre of Adana, with 30,000 victims in April 1909, influenced the work of the young poet, who also issued warnings about the impending danger over his compatriots. In 1910, he published his first collection of poetry, aptly entitled The Red Book, where he also touched upon the themes of social injustice, complaint, and rebellion.