Tamara Shaishmelashvili


PhD in Philology

Georgian Technical University
Assistant Professor
Tbilisi, Georgia
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4480-9119

tamartamriko830@gmail.com

Raphael Eristavi as a Children's Poet

Raphiel Eristavi with his multifaceted activities is one of the prominent figures of the second half of the 19th century in Georgia. He was the leader of many Georgian affairs together with Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, and Jacob Gogebashvili.

In the 80s of the 19th century, Russifiers attacked almost all national pillars of spirituality. The following came under attack: school, church, theater, press, Georgian language...

The leaders of the national-liberation movement "Tergdaleuli" assigned education as the most important mission. "Literacy spreading society among Georgians", founded in 1879, has been growing tirelessly.

At this time, the children's world enters Rafiel Eristavi's poetry with special love. The children's poems of Raphiel Eristavi were actively published in magazines and newspapers: "Bunebis kari, "Nobati", "Jejili"...

The portrait of Rafiel Eristavi was placed next to the pictures of Ilia and Akaki In the book "Bunebis kari" by Yakob Gogebashvili.

"Almost every new issue of children's magazine-newspaper opened with children's poem of Rafiel Eristavi. He also became a popular children's poet. The poems of Rafiel Eristavi became favorite works of the younger generation: "The Mother Tongue", "Swallow", "Spring", "Vintage", "Invitation to School", "Winter", "Bzoba", "Bird", "First work, then jump" and others. (Jagodnishvili, 1986:47).

In 1881, the newspaper "Iveria" published Rafiel Eristavi's poems: "The Mother Tongue" and "Motherland of Khevsur"  which filled everyone's hearts with patriotic feelings. This voice and pathos were needed like air to wake up the Georgians of that time.

That is why they called the "Motherland of Khevsur"  the "Eleventh Commandment". Almost all Georgians knew it orally. This is what the collection published in 1899 wrote about it: "It will forever remain as the "Eleventh Commandment" of young Georgians" (Collection "Secular holiday, on the occasion of the anniversary of Raf. Eristavi", 1899: 11).

Children's poems of Rafiel Eristavi were translated by Arthur Laist and published in the German and Polish press. The poem "Invitation to School" by Jacob Gogebashvili is included in his school textbook.

Children's poetry of Rafiel Eristavi encouraged children to work and study. It is also worth noting that Rafiel Eristavi translated I. Krylov's fables, he wrote Sulkhan-Saba Orbelian's fables as verse.

Raphiel Eristavi paid attention to the delicacy of the child's soul, in his opinion, a poem is not only an aesthetic pleasure but also helps children to perceive the world.

Along with Yakob Gogebashvili, Rafiel Eristavi is considered to be the founder of Georgian children's literature.

Keywords: children's, poetry, spirituality, patriotic, popular