Eka Oragvelidze

PhD in Philology

The University of Georgia

Tamaz Beradze Institute of Georgian Studies (Researcher)

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-7831-3202

Oragvelidzeeka97@gmail.com

 

 

NESTAN-DAREJANI, BEATRICE, LAURA, „ZUBOVKA“ AND „SULIKO“ – THE PRINCIPLES OF ARTISTIC REPRESENTATION OF THE LOST TREASURE

            Love is the basis of all virtues, and virtues by themselves lead a person to absolute love. According to the ideological plan of Shota Rustaveli’s Poem, the search of Nestan-Darejani as a lost love is conceived as an allegory of longing for a lost paradise. Tariel sometimes thinks that his beloved might be dead, but no matter what he still continues to search for Nestan and, hoping to meet her in afterlife, he even faces death several times. Accordingly, finding his love closes the ideological circle of the poem - the overcoming of good over evil and the restoration of divine order in the world.

Under the influence of Solomon's "Song of Songs ", in the footsteps of ancient culture and Christian worldview, in the Renaissance era, human love is perceived as a way to approach a person’s perfection. D. Alighieri’s  to Beatrice and F. Petrarch’s devotion to Laura and is presented as an uplifting virtue. Since carnal love is the worldly manifestation of divine love, therefore, woman becomes a mediator.

The tradition of thinking of human love as an allegorical, divine affection is particularly strong in the Baroque era and, accordingly, in the Georgian literature of the 18th century. In Davit Guramishvili’s "Davitiani" love is presented as "the love of light", striving to know the absolute love of God, which is also clearly reflected in the final part of the book by presenting the ideal of “divine marriage”. In the poem "Zubovka" one of the main driving motives is the longing for the dead amour.

The idea of ​​searching for a dead lover determines the pathos of the lyrical hero of Akaki Tsereteli’s "Suliko". It is also worth noting that the process of searching for Suliko takes place from the bottom to the top - from the ground to the sky. According to the final part of the poem, the lover rejoices in opening the door of life that has been closed until now, which is considered as a allegory of establishing the paradise of the path of love.

 

 Keywords: Lost love; Motive of searching; Allegory; Mediator; Striving towards God

Nestan-Darejani, Beatrice, "Zubovka" and "Suliko" – the Principles of Artistic Representation of the Lost Treasure

Abstract

According to popular religious or philosophical views, love is a medium between man and God. It is the basis of all virtues, and virtues by themselves lead a person to absolute love.

In Georgian literature Shota Rustaveli is the greatest poet of love; he declares affection as a "heavenly affair". According to the ideological plan of the poem, the search for Nestan-Darejani as a lost love is conceived as an allegory of longing for a lost paradise. Tariel, the knight in the panther’s skin settled in the cave (the cave and the cloak of animal skin is a well-known metaphor for Paradise Lost and the hero searching for it), sometimes thinks that his beloved might be dead, but no matter what he still continues to search for Nestan and, hoping to meet her in the afterlife, he even faces death several times. Accordingly, finding his love closes the ideological circle of the poem - the overcoming of good over evil and the restoration of divine order in the world.

Under the influence of Solomon's "Song of Songs ", in the footsteps of ancient culture and Christian worldview, in the Renaissance era, human love is perceived as a way to approach a person’s perfection. Dante Alighieri's devotion to Beatrice is presented as an uplifting virtue. Since carnal love is the worldly manifestation of divine love, therefore, a woman becomes a mediator. The main idea of "Divine Comedy" is based on the motive of searching for the dead amour. For the poet, the longing for Beatrice becomes a marker of the path to heaven.

The tradition of thinking of human love as an allegorical, divine affection is particularly strong in the Baroque era and, accordingly, in the Georgian literature of the 18th century. Vakhtang VI and his theoretical-literary school follow the allegorical narration. The aforementioned historical-literary point of view was manifested in the works of Davit Guramishvili. In "Davitiani" love is presented as "the love of light", striving to know the absolute love of God, which is also clearly reflected in the final part of the book by presenting the ideal of divine marriage ("Joyful Summer"). It is also noteworthy that in the poem "Zubovka" one of the main driving motives is the longing for the dead amour. For the poet's lyrical hero, being unloved is equivalent to being in hell (like Tariel - in a cave, and Dante - in hell), and he begs his "beloved" (in an allegorical sense - God) to save him from this torment.

The motive of the search for beloved, as a being connecting with eternity, is clearly visible in the Georgian poetry of the 19th century. Despite the multifaceted interpretation, it is possible to say that the idea of searching for a dead lover determines the pathos of the lyrical hero of Akaki Tsereteli's "Suliko". It is also worth noting that the process of searching for Suliko takes place from the bottom to the top - from the ground to the sky (rose, nightingale, star). Symbolically, like in the case of the above-mentioned authors, the idea of human striving towards God - spiritual ascension through love is the main topic of the poem. The reason for the meeting of the lyrical hero and Suliko is love; just like the bliss of the kingdom, the joy of meeting his beloved is indescribable.  According to the final part of the poem, the lover rejoices in opening the door of life that has been closed until now, which is considered as a metaphor for establishing the paradise of the path of love.

 

Keywords: Lost  love, Motive of searching, Striving towards God