| ვეფხისტყაოსანი | |
|---|---|
| The Knight in the Panther's Skin | |
 17th-century manuscript of Vepkhistkaosani | |
| Original title | Georgian: ვეფხისტყაოსანი, romanized: vepkhist'q'aosani (lit. "the one with the skin of a tiger") |
| Author(s) | Shota Rustaveli |
| Dedicated to | King Tamar of Georgia |
| Language | Middle Georgian |
| Date | c. 1180–1205/07 |
| First printed edition | by King Vakhtang VI in 1712 |
| Genre | Epic poetry, national epic, chivalric romance |
| Verse form | Rustavelian quatrain |
| Length | 6,648 lines |
| Subject | Love, friendship, heroism, loyalty |
| Period covered | Reign of King Tamar of Georgia Georgian Golden Age |
| Text | ვეფხისტყაოსანი at Wikisource |
The Knight in the Panther's Skin (Georgian: ვეფხისტყაოსანი, romanized: vepkhist'q'aosani pronounced [vepʰχistʼqʼaosani] literally "the one with the skin of a tiger") is a Georgian medieval epic poem, written in the 12th or 13th century by Georgia's national poet Shota Rustaveli.[1] A definitive work of the Georgian Golden Age, the poem consists of over 1600 Rustavelian Quatrains and is considered to be a "masterpiece of the Georgian literature".[2] Until the early 20th century, a copy of this poem was part of the dowry of every bride.[3][4]
Although the poem takes place in the fictional settings of "India" and "Arabia", events in these distant lands are but a colorful allegory of the rule of King Tamar of Georgia, and the size and glory of the Kingdom of Georgia in its Golden Age.[5][6] It tells of the friendship of two heroes, Avtandil and Tariel, and their quest to find the object of love, Nestan-Darejan, an allegorical embodiment of King Tamar. These idealized heroes and devoted friends are united by courtly love, generosity, sincerity, and dedication. 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]
- ^ Baramidze & Gamezardashvili, p. 17
- ^ Shengelia, p. 106
- ^ Shengelia, p. 105
- ^ Delshad, p. 18
- ^ Baramidze & Gamezardashvili, p. 19
- ^ David Marshall Lang. Landmarks in Georgian Literature. School of Oriental and African Studies, 1966, p. 20
- ^ Asatiani & Bendianashvili, p. 151
- ^ Malinka Velinova, "Interférence des genres dans les emplois du monologue médiéval", Institut Roustavéli, p. 160
- ^ Polet, p. 529