The Knight in the Panther's Skin

17th-century manuscript of the poem

**The Knight in the Panther's Skin** (Georgian: **ვეფხისტყაოსანი**) is Georgia's national poet Shota Rustaveli's only surviving poem, written in the 12th century. The poem consists of the prologue, main part, and epilogue. *The Knight in the Panther's Skin* is a complex work of literature; it tells two stories (one about Arabia and another about India) at the same time, however, both plots are interconnected. The poem is rich with characters. It consists of over 1600 Rustavelian Quatrains (also known as "Shairi"), and is considered to be a "masterpiece of the Georgian literature".

The original version of the poem has never been found; the earliest known manuscript that we know of dates back to the 16th century. Throughout the centuries, the poem has been modified and interpolators have been adding new stanzas and even chapters; today these additions are known as *The Continuities of The Knight in the Panther's Skin*.

As of today, over 160 manuscripts of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin* have been discovered. The first printed edition was published in 1712 by King Vakhtang VI of Kartli. Some of the manuscripts are decorated with ornaments. A handful of artists have also created illustrations. The poem has been translated into many languages.

During and after the Middle Ages, *The Knight in the Panther's Skin* has played a major role in the lives of the Georgian people, as well as in the literature; the poem has always been among the Georgians' favorite books. It became especially influential for the writers of the new era. Today, *The Knight in the Panther's Skin* is considered to be one of the greatest works of literature in the world.

## Structure

*The Knight in the Panther's Skin* consists of three parts: the Prologue, the main part, and the Epilogue.

### Prologue & Epilogue

The Prologue and Epilogue provide historical and literary details about the poem, the author and his worldviews. Some scholars believe that the Prologue and Epilogue weren't written by Rustaveli and they've been added later, while others believe that most of the stanzas were indeed written by Rustaveli and only some of them were added by forgers. Rustvelologist Alexander Sarajishvili believes the latter to be the case; he claims that a handful of stanzas were forged, but also notes that the prologue is a very important part of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin*, and that Shota Rustaveli expressed the main point of the poem in it:

> It's obvious that with this preface, Rustaveli wished to express the fundamental idea and origins of the poem, his spiritual condition while writing it, as well as his opinion and relationship regarding the heroes; he wished to express his ideal, which animates every poet and becomes their most precious treasure — love and poetry. The preface is not someone else's apocrypha, but an inextricable part of the poem, its explanation and key.
>
>

Alexander Naneishvili expressed a very similar opinion prior to Sarajishvili. Rustvelologist David Karichashvili claimed the opposite; he believed that both the Prologue and Epilogue of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin* were forged and they had nothing to do with the main part of the poem. In his opinion, the two parts don't represent anything and each stanzas were written by various individuals in various times. David Karichashvili's claim was heavily criticized by Nikolai Marr in his Rustvelological work. Despite Marr's criticism, Karichashvili didn't change his opinion and expressed it once again in his study titled "The Composition of The Knight in the Panther's Skin" (Georgian: "ვეფხისტყაოსნის შემადგენლობა"). Rustvelologist Alexander Svanidze shared and further developed these theories. David Karichashvili's views were once supported by Korneli Kekelidze. The theory of the forged Prologue & Epilogue was later criticized by Alexander Baramidze. Per him, the Prologue and Epilogue are based on certain traditional principles; when it comes to composition, the Prologue and the main part are in a perfect order; all three parts of the poem are consistent and exemplary. Vazha-Pshavela also had the same opinion as Beridze.

### Main Part

The main part of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin* is a relatively simple fabolous story, which is complicated by a structure of plots. The main part tells two stories about two countries — Arabia and India. The two stories are interconnected and interlaced so much that *The Knight in the Panther's Skin* remains a single work of literature. The main plot of the poem is enriched by episodes, such as the hunting scene, the story of Phridon, the story of Phatman, etc. These episodes tell their own complete stories. Apart from these stories, so called "static elements", such as letters, epistles, dialogs, descriptions, digressions, aphorisms and etc. are used very frequently in the main part of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin*.

The plot develops swiftly, briefly, and subtly, as some Rustvelologists point out, Rustaveli saves time and energy. It's worth noting that Rustaveli often uses characters to prove his views. Scholars claim that plotwise *The Knight in the Panther's Skin* is still endearing to this day. Gustavo Alfredo de la Torre Botarro, who translated the poem into Spanish, says that the poem is "enchanting". Georgian Rustvelologist Alexander Baramidze notes that plots are "twisted and straitened" using a rare craft; situations gradually become more complex and fierce, which keeps the reader alert and invested in the story.

Due to the theme of the main part, love was traditionally considered to be the whole point of the poem. This view was questioned by Nikolai Marr, who believed that the point of the poem was not love, but brotherhood and friendship. Ivane Javakhishvili agreed with Marr. Zurab Avalishvili points out that it's difficult to determine if love is the main point or friendship, and considers both to be equally important subjects in the poem. Academician V. Shishmaref considers *The Knight in the Panther's Skin* to be a love poem without a doubt. English literary critic Maurice Bowra also believes that the idea of love is more predominant in the poem than friendship. American Kartvelologist Louis Solano also shares the same opinion. Georgian Rustvelologist Alexander Baramidze also believed love to be the main point of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin*.

It should be noted that some scholars don't believe every single stanza of the main part to be written by Shota Rustaveli. According to one theory, the story of Indians and Khatavians was added later to the poem; other than this chapter, the origins of other stanzas are also questionable (more details about this topic are presented in sections Author and Interpolators).

## Content

### Content of Prologue & Epilogue

The prologue and epilogue of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin* is constructed using a certain traditional principle. In the beginning of the prologue, the author addresses and praises The Creator of the world (first two stanzas). Then Rustaveli praises the earthly kings, where he notes that he doesn't know how he can dare to hymn the praises to *the 'Lion' of King Tamar*. In the third stanza, the word *Lion* is used as a metaphor and refers to the husband of King Tamar. His name David is mentioned in the prologue. The fourth stanza is specifically dedicated to King Tamar:

After praising God and The Kingdom of Georgia, the poet talks about himself and his work. In the sixth and seventh stanzas, the name of the main protagonist of the poem, Tariel, is already mentioned. In the seventh and eighth stanzas, the poet refers to himself as *Rustaveli*:

Afterwards, Rustaveli develops two theories regarding poetry and love. He defines the meaning of poetry and its nature; specifically, the twelfth stanza states that poetry is considered a form of wisdom, and its perceptual meaning is underlined. According to the poet, poetry is "[beneficial] for a worthy [reader]". He also considers poetry to be a divine artwork, which also has the purpose in the materialistic world.

## References

1. ↑ A. Sarajishvili, Fake places of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin*, "Moambe", 1895, XI, pp. 8-9
2. ↑ "Moambe", 1894, X, pp. 119-146
3. ↑ *The Knight in the Panther's Skin*, with D. Karichashvili's preface, notes and extensive dictionary, Tbilisi, 1903, pp. VII-VIII
4. ↑ (Russian) Н. Марр, Вступительные и заключительные строфы Витяза в барсовой коже Шоты из Рустава. Грузинский текст, русский перевод и пояснения с этюдом „Культ женщины и рыцарство в поэме“, ТР, XII, Санкт-Петербург, 1910
5. ↑ Magazine „Ganatleba“, 1913, VI, pp. 412-424
6. ↑ (Russian) „Новыи мир“, 1934, VI, pp. 99
7. ↑ K. Kekelidze, History of the Georgian Literature, II, Tbilisi, 1924, pp. 89
8. ↑ A. Baramidze, Shota Rustaveli, The Structure of The Knight in the Panther's Skin, Tbilisi, 1975, pp. 19-20
9. ↑ A. Baramidze, Vazha-Pshavela – Rustvelologist, Collection dedicated to the hundredth birth anniversary of Vazha-Pshavela, Tbilisi, 1961, pp. 36-37
10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Baramidze80`
11. ↑ A. Beridze, Shota Rustaveli, The thematic composition of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin*, Tbilisi, 1975, p. 85
12. ↑ A Gatserelia, Studies from the Georgian Poetry, Tbilisi, 1938, pp. 15-17
13. ↑ G. Nadiradze, Some of the Art Topics in Rustaveli's Esthetic („Sabchota Khelovneba“, 1955, N3, p. 19)
14. ↑ G. Nadiradze, Rustaveli's Esthetic, Tbilisi, 1958, p. 261
15. ↑ The Pride of the Nation, magazine „Komunisti“, 27.6.65
16. ↑ A. Baramidze, Shota Rustaveli, The thematic composition of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin*, Tbilisi, 1975, p. 84
17. ↑ (Russian) Н. Марр, Грузинская поэма „Витязь в барсовой шкуре“, ИАН, 1917, p. 424
18. ↑ I. Javakhishvili, Historical Matters of the Georgian Language and Writing, Tbilisi, 1956, p. 18; also p. 15
19. ↑ Z. Avalishvili, The Matters of The Knight in the Panther's Skin, Paris, 1931, p. 174
20. ↑ V. Shishmaref, Shota Rustaveli, „Enimkis Moambe“, III, 1938, pp. 240
21. ↑  M. Bowra, Inspiration and Poetry, Inspiration and Poetry, London, 1955, p. 52
22. ↑ Rustaveli was Led by Genius, „Literaturuli Sakartvelo“, 9. X. 70
23. ↑ A. Baramidze, Shota Rustaveli, The thematic composition of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin*, Tbilisi, 1975, p. 86 and onwards
24. ↑ A. Baramidze, Shota Rustaveli, The Continuities of The Knight in the Panther's Skin, Tbilisi, 1975, p. 393 and onwards
25. ↑ Al. Baramidze, Shota Rustaveli, The Composition of The Knight in the Panther's Skin, Tbilisi, 1975, p. 15
26. ↑ The 1658th stanza of Lyn's version of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin*
27. ↑ The 4th stanza of Lyn's version of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin*
28. ↑ The 6th and 7th stanzas of the anniversary edition from 1937, as well as Lyn's translation.
29. ↑ The 7th and 8th stanzas of the anniversary edition from 1937, as well as Lyn's translation.
30. ↑ The 12th stanza of the anniversary edition from 1937, as well as Lyn's translation.
31. ↑ A. Baramidze, Shota Rustaveli, The Prologue of *The Knight in the Panther's Skin*, Tbilisi, 1975, p. 21