Shota Rustaveli - a great poet and statesman

Shota Rustaveli is a great Georgian poet of the 12th century. It was the heyday of the Georgian kingdom under the leadership of the famous Georgian queen Tamara. It was a time when great Georgia was known throughout the world - a small state on the Black Sea coast was respected by even stronger and more powerful neighbors. One of the most respected statesmen at that time was Shota Rustaveli.

Biography

Official sources, which tell of the early childhood of the great poet, are practically not preserved. He was born at the turn of the 60-70s of the 12th century. The place of birth could not be determined - most likely, the word "Rustaveli" is not a surname, but points to the locality in which Shota was born. The name "Rustavi" was worn by several settlements located in various regions of Georgia.

The origin of the future poet also remains a mystery. According to one source, Shota Rustaveli was born into a wealthy and influential family. Then the question arises: why did such a brilliant person conceal his generic name? Logical is the guess that he was born in the family of the poor, but for his abilities he was taken to education in the house of one of the Georgian nobles, probably Bagrationi. Almost reliable are the information about the good upbringing that Shota received: he spent his youth in one of the monasteries of Meskheti, and then studied in Greece, brilliantly mastered Greek and Latin languages, studied the legacy of Homer and Plato, theology, the foundations of poetics and rhetoric. This knowledge was useful to him in the civil service.

Georgia in the 12th century

The period of the reign of Queen Tamara is not in vain called the golden age of the Georgian state. This woman united small principalities in one big country. The reign of an intelligent and well-educated monarchy led to the flourishing of the culture and writing of ancient Georgia, to the creation of new literary works that rightfully took their place in the list of world literary monuments of the past. In addition to the great Rustaveli at the court of Tamara, such poets as Shavteli and Chakhrukadze created their works, the ode of which, chanting the queen Tamara, has partially survived to this day. Such an environment quickly provided a literary rise to the young poet, and Shota Rustaveli was able to please the world with his immortal work.

Creating a poem

Somewhere between 1187 and 1207, Shota Rustaveli created his poem "The Knight in the Tiger (Bars) Skin". The action of the poem takes place in a large geographical space, and among the characters of the poem are representatives of non-existent countries and nationalities. Skillfully using various literary devices, the author truthfully portrayed the multi-level reality of contemporary Georgia. The heroism of the poem awaits marriage with the unloved. She refuses to marry him, for which cruel relatives imprison her in the Kadjet Tower. Three knight-brothers fight for her freedom and in the end the girl is released. In this literary monument, the victory of good and justice over the envy and bondage is lauded.

In the text there are several historical and literary indications of the allegorical meaning of the poem, and there are indirect indications of the period when this literary work was created. In the prologue, the reign of Tamara and her love for David Soslan are celebrated. In the final stanzas, the poet mourns the death of the queen, there also contains a hint of the authorship of Shota Rustaveli - it is said that the author of these lines is "a Meskh of unknown origin from Rustavi."

Public service

The poet was highly appreciated by his contemporaries. The author receives the post of tsarist librarian. Tamara gives him a golden pen, which for his literary contribution was awarded to Shota Rustaveli. The biography of the poet mentions that the gifted golden pen should always be in the librarian's cap. It was considered a sign of his scholarship, literary talent and personal benevolence of the queen. This pen everywhere accompanies Shota Rustaveli - photos taken from ancient frescoes prove that the poet always wore this distinction.

Days in Jerusalem

Gradually, the admiration of the brilliant Tamara grew into a deeper feeling. When the queen learned about this feeling, Rustaveli fell into disgrace. The poet was forced to flee to Jerusalem. There he most likely took monastic vows in the monastery of the Holy Cross and in gratitude for the orphanage painted the walls of the ancient temple with wonderful frescoes reminding him of a distant homeland. There, the Georgian poet died. The monastic brothers did not forget about the significant role of the poet - his gravestone is decorated with the inscription "Shota Rustaveli - Georgian statesman (vizier)". There is also an image of Rustaveli in elegant Georgian clothes and with appropriate inscriptions in the Georgian language. In the inscription, the poet asks God to be merciful to him and forgive him all his sins.