витязь в тигровой шкуре
Inscribed in Georgian
Shota Rustaveli (Georgian: შოთა რუსთაველი) was a 12th-13th-century Georgian poet. He is one of the greatest contributors to Georgian literature. He is author of The Knight in the Panther's Skin (ვეფხისტყაოსანი, Vepxist'q'aosani), the Georgian national epic poem.
The Knight in the Panther's Skin (Georgian: ვეფხისტყაოსანი pronounced [vɛpʰxist’q’ɑosɑni] "one who owns a leopard skin") is a Georgian medieval epic poem, consisting of over 1600 shairi quatrains, written in the 12th century by the Georgian epic poet Shota Rustaveli, the "crown and glory of the Georgian culture".[1] It is considered to be the "masterpiece of the Georgian literature" which held for centuries a prominent place in the heart of Georgians, a majority of whom are able to quote whole stanzas from the poem.[2] Until the early 20th century, a copy of this poem was part of the dowry of any bride.[3][4]
Rustaveli drew upon the entire wealth of the old Georgian written culture and, by following the best traditions of the Georgian folklore, developed and raised Georgian poetry to unprecedented heights, poetry which would describe the highest ideals and aspirations of the Georgian nation.[5]
The story takes place in India and Arabia.[6] It tells the friendship between the two heroes, Avtandil and Tariel, and the quest to find the object of love, Nestan-Darejan. Dedicated to Queen Tamar of Georgia who is a model for Nestan-Darejan, the work boasts the size and glory of the Kingdom of Georgia in its golden age. These idealized heroes, the devoted friends are united by courtly love, generosity, sincerity, dedication, who proclaim equality between men and women, with great joy. The poem is regarded as the "coronation of thought, poetic and philosophical art of medieval Georgia",[7] a complex work with rich and transcending genres. It has been described as "epic", "chivalric romance", "epic romance" and "epic poem of lyric poetry."[8] Despite its formal complexity, it bears to this day "the Georgian vision of the world."[9]
