The Vityaz in the Panther’s Skin
Shota Rustaveli
Knight in the Pantherkin
Once in Arabia, the glorious king Rostevan reigned, and he had his only daughter, the beautiful Tinatin. Anticipating close old age, he ordered Rostevan even during his lifetime to raise his daughter to the throne, which he told the viziers. Those favorably accepted the decision of the wise ruler, for “Even though the girl is the king, the creator created it.” The lion cub remains, whether it’s a female or a male. ” On the day of Tinatin’s accession to the throne, Rostevan and his faithful rescuer (military leader) and pupil Avtandil, long passionately in love with Tinatin, conspired the next morning to organize a hunt and compete in the art of archery.
Having gone to the competition (in which, for the joy of Rostevan, the winner was his pupil), the king noticed in the distance a lone figure of a horseman clothed in a tiger’s skin, and sent a messenger for him. But the messenger returned
Rostevan retired to his quarters, not wanting to see anyone except his beloved daughter. Tinatin advises the father to send reliable people to search for a knight in the world and find out whether he is a man or a devil. The messengers flew to the four corners of the world, proceeded half-ground, but they did not meet the one who knew the sufferer.
Tinatin for joy Avtandil summons him to his palaces and orders in the name of his love for her three years to search across the land of a mysterious stranger,
And “All the Arabia having traveled for four crossings,” “On the face of the earth wandering, homeless and wretched, He visited every small corner for three years.” And having failed to attack the trail of the mysterious knight, “wild in heartache,” Avtandil decided to turn his horse back, when he suddenly saw six fatigued and wounded travelers who told him that they had met on the hunt of a knight, lost in meditation and dressed in a tiger skin. The knight gave them a worthy resistance and “the proud, dashed off like a star from the stars.”
For two days and two nights Avtandil chased the knight until at last the mountain river passed, and Avtandil, climbing a tree and taking shelter in his crown, did not witness how a girl (called her Asmat) came out of the thicket of the forest to meet the knight, and, embracing, they sobbed for a long time over the stream, grieving that they had not managed to find a beautiful virgin to this day. The next morning this scene was repeated, and, after parting with Asmat, the knight continued his sorrowful path.
Avtandil, speaking to Asmat, tries to find out from her the secret of such a strange behavior of the knight. For a long time she does not dare to share her sadness with Avtandil, finally she tells that the mysterious knight is called Tariel, that she is his slave. At that time, hoofs are heard – Tariel returns. Avtandil hides in a cave, and Asmat tells Tariel about an unexpected guest, and Tariel and Avtandil, two midjuna (that is, lovers, who dedicated their lives to the service of a beloved), joyfully greet each other and become twin brothers. Avtandil is the first to tell his story about the love of Tinatin, the beautiful owner of the Arabian throne, and the fact that it was her will for three years he wandered in the desert in search of Tariel. In response, Tariel tells him his story.
… Once there were seven kings in Hindustan, six of whom revered as their lord Farasadan – a generous and wise ruler. Father Tariel, glorious Saridan, “a thunderstorm of enemies, Managed his lot, the opponents of extortion.” But, having achieved honor and glory, he began to languish in loneliness and also willingly gave his possessions to Farsadan. But the noble Farsadan renounced the generous gift and left Saridan as the sole ruler of his inheritance, brought him closer to himself, and revered him as a brother. At the royal court, Tariel himself was brought up in reverence and reverence. Meanwhile, the Tsar’s couple had a beautiful daughter, Nestan-Darejan. When Tariel was fifteen years old, Saridan passed away, and Farsadan and the queen were given to him “the father of the father – the commander of the whole country.”
Beauty Nestan-Darejan, meanwhile, grew up and captivated the burning heart of the brave Tariel. Once, at the height of the feast, Nestan-Darejan sent her slave Asmat to Tariel with a message that read: “A faint faint and weakness – are they calling you love?” Is not it pleasant for Mijnuru to be glory bought with blood? ” Nestan suggested that Tariel should declare war on the Hathawas (it should be noted that the action in the poem takes place both in real and fictional countries), deserve the honor and glory in the “bloody clash,” and then she will give Tariel her hand and heart.
Tariel is campaigning against hutavas and returns to Farsadan with a victory, having broken hordes of Khatavan Khan Ramaz. The next morning after returning to the tormented love torment, a royal couple comes for advice, which did not know the feelings experienced by the young man to their daughter: who should be the only daughter and heir to the throne to marry? It turned out that the Shah of Khorezm was proclaiming his son Nestan-Daredzhan to his husbands, and Farsadan and the tsarina favored his matchmaking favorably. Asmat is behind Tariel to escort him to the palaces of Nestan-Darejan. She rebukes Tariel in a lie, says that she was deceived, calling herself his lover, because she is being given “for the prince of a stranger” against her will, and he only agrees with her father’s decision. But Tariel dissuades Nestan-Darejan, he is sure that he alone is destined to become her husband and ruler of Hindustan.
After executing the order of the beloved, the hero appeals to Farsadan: “Your throne now remains for me according to the rules,” farsadan is angry, he is sure that this is his sister, the witch Dawar, has told the lovers of such a treacherous act, and threatens to kill her. Davar is put on the princess with great abuse, and at this time “two slaves, in the form of kaji” (fairy-tale characters of Georgian folklore) arise in the quarters, push Nestan into the ark and take them to the sea. Davar in the mountain pins himself with a sword. On the same day, Tariel, with fifty warriors, goes in search of his beloved. But in vain – nowhere has he succeeded in finding even the tracks of a beautiful princess.
Once in his wanderings, Tariel met the courageous Nuradin-Fridon, the sovereign of Mulgazanzar, who was fighting against his uncle, who was trying to split the country. Knights, “having concluded a cordial union,” give each other a vow of eternal friendship. Tariel helps Friedon defeat the enemy and restore peace and tranquility to his kingdom. In one of the conversations, Friedon told Tariel that once, while walking by the sea, he happened to see a strange rook, from which, when she landed on the shore, a virgin of unparalleled beauty emerged. Tariel, of course, recognized her beloved in her, told Friedon his sad story, and Friedon immediately sent the seafarers “to various distant countries” with the order to find the captive. But “in vain seafarers proceeded on the edge of the earth, These people did not find any trace of the princess.”
Tariel, having bid farewell to the twin brother and got a gift from a black horse, went back to the search, but, desperate to find his beloved, found shelter in a secluded cave, where he met him, dressed in a tiger’s skin, Avtandil (“The image of a fiery tigress is similar to for I am the skin of a tiger of clothes of only a mile “).
Avtandil decides to return to Tinatin, tell her everything, and then rejoin Tariel and help him in his quest.
… They greeted Avtandil with great joy at the court of the wise Rostevan, and Tinatin, “like a paradise aloe in the valley of the Euphrates waited on a throne richly dyed.” Even though Avtandil was new to his love, although Rostevan resisted his departure, the word given to a friend drove him away from his family, and Avtandil for the second time, already secretly, leaves Arabia, having sent the faithful Shermadin to perform his duties as a military commander. Leaving, Avtandil leaves Rostovevu testament, a kind of anthem of love and friendship.
Arriving to the cave abandoned by him, in which Tariel was hiding, Avtandil finds there only one Asmat – unable to withstand the anguish, Tariel alone went in search of Nestan-Darejan.
The second time he overtook a friend, Avtandil finds him in an extreme degree of despair, with difficulty managed to bring back to life the wounded in the fight with the lion and tigress Tariel. Friends return to the cave, and Avtandil decides to go to Mulgazanzar to Fridon, in order to ask him in more detail about the circumstances under which he saw the sunless Nestan.
On the seventieth day Avtandil arrived in the possession of Friedon. “Under the protection of the two sentinels, that girl appeared to us,” Friedon greeted him with respect, “Both were like soot, only the virgin is a fair man.” I took the sword, spurred my horse to fight with the guards, But the unknown boat disappeared into the sea, like a bird. “
Once again, the glorious Avtandil is on the move again, “he asked a lot of people for a hundred days in the bazaars, But he did not hear about the virgin, he just wasted time” until he met a caravan of merchants from Baghdad, led by the venerable elder Usama. Avtandil helped Osama overcome the sea robbers who plundered their caravan, Usam offered him all his goods for gratitude, but Avtandil asked for only a simple dress and the opportunity to hide from other people’s eyes, “pretending to be the foreman” of the merchant caravan.
So, under the guise of a simple merchant, Avtandil arrived in the seaside marvelous city of Gulansharo, in which “the flowers smell sweet and never fade.” Avtandil laid out his goods under the trees, and the gardener of the famous merchant Usen approached him and told him that his master was away today, but “here is Fatma-hatun at the house, her mistress’s mistress, she is amiable, loves the guest at the hour of leisure “. Having learned that an eminent merchant has arrived in their city, besides “like a seven-day month, he is more beautiful than a plane tree,” Fatma immediately ordered the trader to be brought to the palace. “In old age, but beautiful by herself” Fatma fell in love with Avtandil. “The flame grew stronger, it grew, mystery was revealed, as the mistress did not hide,” and, during one of the meetings, when Avtandil and Fatmoy “kissed each other for a conversation” The door of the alcove opened and a formidable warrior appeared on the threshold, promising Fatma for her debauchery a great punishment. “You’ll bury all your children from fear like a wolf!” he threw in her face and left. In despair, Fatma burst into tears, bitterly executing herself, and begged Avtandil to kill Chachnagir (that’s the name of the warrior) and take off his finger the ring she had given him. Avtandil executed the request of Fatma, and she told him about her meeting with Nestan-Darejan.
One day, at the feast, the queen Fatma went into the gazebo, which was built on a rock, and opening the window and looking at the sea, she saw a rook sticking to the shore, out of her accompanied by two blacks a girl emerged, the beauty of which was eclipsed by the sun. Fatma ordered the slaves to buy out the maiden from the guards, and “if the bargaining does not take place”, kill them. So it happened. Fatma concealed the sun-like Nestan in secret chambers, but the girl continued to pour tears day and night and did not say anything about herself. Finally, Fatma decided to reveal herself to her husband, who accepted the stranger with great joy, but Nestan remained as before silent and ” roses, and pearls over pearls. “One day Usen went to the banquet to the king, who was a” friend-friend “and, wishing to pay him for his favor, promised the” daughter-in – similar to the plane tree. “Fatma immediately seated Nestan on a fast horse and sent her away. Today in the heart of Fatma, the sadness of the fate of the beautiful little stranger. Once, passing by the tavern, Fatma heard the story of the slave of the great king, the ruler of Kajet (the country of evil spirits – kajs), that after the death of his master, the king’s sister, Dulardukht, became king, that she was “as majestic as a rock” and she had two princesses left in the care of her. This slave was in a detachment of soldiers who were robbing. In one of the nights, wandering the steppe, they are They ate a rider, whose face “sparkled like a flash of lightning.” Recognizing the maiden in it, the warriors immediately captivated her – “the girl did not listen to either pleas or persuasion. Only she gloomed in silence before the bandit patrol, And she, like an aspid, poured an angry gaze. “
On the same day, Fatma sent two slaves to Kajeti with the task of finding Nestan-Darejan. In three days the slaves returned with the news that Nestan was already engaged to the prince of Kajeti, that Dulardukht was going to go to the sea for the funeral of his sister, and that she took sorcerers and sorcerers with her, “for her way is dangerous, and the enemies are ready for battle.” But the fortress of kajei is inaccessible, it is located on the top of a steep cliff, and “ten thousand of the best guards guard fortifications.”
Thus, the residence of Nestan was revealed to Avtandil. That night, Fatma “at the bed full of happiness tasted, Though, in truth, reluctant were caresses of Avtandil,” tormented by Tinatin. The next morning Avtandil told Fatma the story of “how he dressed in the skin of a tiger suffers grief”, and asked to send one of his sorcerers to Nestan-Darejan. Soon the sorcerer returned with instructions from Nestan not to go to Tariel on a campaign against Kajeti, for she “would die a double death, if he died on the day of battle.”
Calling to himself the slaves of Friedon and giving them generously, Avtandil told them to go to their master and ask them to gather troops and perform at the Kajeti, he himself crossed the sea on a passing galley and hurried with good news to Tariel. There was no limit to the happiness of the knight and his faithful Asmat.
The three friends “went to the land of Friedon steppe deaf” and soon arrived safely to the court of the ruler of Mulgazanzar. Having conferred, Tariel, Avtandil and Fridon decided immediately, before Dulardukht returned, to march on the fortress, that “a chain of cliffs impenetrable from enemies is fenced.” With a detachment of three hundred men a day and night the knights hurried, “not allowing the squad to sleep.”
“The battlefield of the twin brothers divided among themselves: each warrior in their squad was likened to a hero.” Overnight defenders of the formidable fortress were defeated. Tariel, sweeping away everything in his path, rushed to his beloved, and “this pair of sunflower could not disperse, the roses of the lips, having fallen to each other, could not separate.”
Having loaded three thousand mules and camels with a rich booty, the knight, along with the beautiful princess, went to Fatma to thank her. All they got in the Kadjet fight they presented as a gift to the ruler Gulansharo, who met the guests with great honors and also presented them with rich gifts. Then the heroes went to the kingdom of Friedon, “and then the great festival came in Mulgazanzar.” Eight days, when the wedding was celebrated, the entire country was amused, beaten with tambourines and cymbals, the harps sang to the darkness. ” At the banquet, Tariel volunteered to go with Avtandil to Arabia and be his matchmaker: “Where words, where we arrange everything with swords, without wishing you a maiden, I do not want to be married!” “Neither the sword, nor the eloquent will help in that land, Where God sent me the queen of my sun!” “replied Avtandil, and reminded Tariel, that it was time to take possession of the Indian throne, and on the day “when these ideas are realized,” he will return to Arabia. But Tariel is adamant in deciding to help a Friend. To join him and valiant Friedon, and now “the lions, leaving the edge of Friedon, went into fun unprecedented” and on a certain day reached the Arabian side.
Tariel sent a messenger to Rostevan with a message, and Rostevan, with a numerous suite, went out to meet the glorious knights and the beautiful Nestan-Darejan.
Tariel asks Rostavan to be merciful to Avtandil, who once without his blessing went away in search of a knight in the tiger skin. Rostevan gladly forgives his commander, granting him a daughter in marriage, and with her and the Arabian throne. “Pointing to Avtandil, the king said to his squad:” Here’s the king for you. By the will of God he reigns in my stronghold. “It follows the wedding of Avtandil and Tinatin.
Meanwhile, on the horizon appears a caravan in black mourning clothes. After questioning the leader, the heroes learn that the king of the Indus Farasadan, “having lost his darling daughter,” did not endure grief and died, and the hutas came to Hindustan, “encircle the wartime army,” and Haya Ramaz, who chaired them, “does not enter with the king of Egypt in the wrangling. ”
“Tariel, hearing this, did not hesitate any more, And he rode a three-day road.” Siblings of course went with him and overnight overcame a myriad of hutava’s army. Mother-queen joined the hands of Tariel and Nestan-Darejan, and “on the high royal throne Tariel sat down with his wife.” “The seven thrones of Hindustan, all the fathers’ dominions received their spouses there, having satisfied their aspirations, and finally they, the sufferers, forgot about the torment: Only he will appreciate the joy,
So began to rule in their countries three valiant knight-brother: Tariel in Hindustan, Avtandil in Arabia and Friedon in Mulgazanzar, and “their merciful deeds were everywhere poured like snow.”
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