Month 24. On Rustaveli Avenue
Walking down Rustaveli Avenue, I realise I know the street better than the man it's named after. Nino decides to fix that over a coffee.
Today: Rustaveli and his great poem.
LIMBA audio course · Georgian
Hear it, then say it: learn to speak Georgian
- 37 audio lessons
- about 13 minutes each
- explained in simple English
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
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1Sam’s diary
2Dialogue
Sam
ნინო, რატომ ჰქვია ამ გამზირს რუსთაველის სახელი?nino, rat'om hkvia am gamzirs rustavelis sakheli?Nino, why is this avenue named after Rustaveli?
Nino
შოთა რუსთაველი ჩვენი ყველაზე დიდი პოეტია. მან „ვეფხისტყაოსანი“ დაწერა, მეთორმეტე საუკუნეში.shota rustaveli chveni q'velaze didi p'oet'ia. man „vepkhist'q'aosani“ dats'era, metormet'e sauk'uneshi.Shota Rustaveli is our greatest poet. He wrote "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" in the twelfth century.
Sam
რაზეა ეს პოემა?razea es p'oema?What's the poem about?
Nino
მეგობრობაზე და სიყვარულზე. ტარიელი თავის სატრფოს, ნესტან-დარეჯანს ეძებს, ავთანდილი კი მას ეხმარება.megobrobaze da siq'varulze. t'arieli tavis sat'rpos, nest'an-darejans edzebs, avtandili k'i mas ekhmareba.Friendship and love. Tariel is searching for his beloved, Nestan-Darejan, and Avtandil helps him.
Sam
გრძელია?grdzelia?Is it long?
Nino
ათას ხუთასზე მეტი სტროფია. ძველად პატარძალს მზითევში „ვეფხისტყაოსანს“ ატანდნენ.atas khutasze met'i st'ropia. dzvelad p'at'ardzals mzitevshi „vepkhist'q'aosans“ at'andnen.It has more than fifteen hundred stanzas. In the old days, brides took "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" with them as part of their dowry.
Sam
რომელი სტრიქონი გიყვარს ყველაზე მეტად?romeli st'rikoni giq'vars q'velaze met'ad?Which line do you love most?
Nino
„რასაცა გასცემ, შენია, რაც არა, დაკარგულია.“„rasatsa gastsem, shenia, rats ara, dak'argulia.“"What you give away is yours; what you keep is lost."
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| გამზირი | gamziri | avenue |
| პოეტი | p'oet'i | poet |
| ვეფხისტყაოსანი | vepkhist'q'aosani | "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" (literally "the one in the tiger's skin") |
| პოემა | p'oema | (long) poem |
| სატრფო | sat'rpo | beloved (poetic) |
| სტროფი | st'ropi | stanza |
| პატარძალი | p'at'ardzali | bride |
| მზითევი | mzitevi | dowry |
| სტრიქონი | st'rikoni | line (of a poem, of a text) |
How to read the pronunciation
The pronunciation is written in English letters, following Georgia’s official romanization. Say every letter: a as in father, e as in pet, i as in machine, o as in port, u as in rule; r is rolled; g is always hard; kh as in Scottish loch; gh a soft gargled g, like a French r; sh as in shop; zh like the s in pleasure; ch as in church; ts as in cats; dz as in adze; j as in jam. An apostrophe marks a “popped” consonant, said with a little click in the throat and no puff of air: k’, p’, t’, ts’, ch’, q’ (q’ is made deep in the throat). Without an apostrophe, k, p, t, ts, ch have a small puff of air. Use the Pronunciation button at the top to hide or show it.
4Grammar and explanations
Talking about a book
| Georgian | English |
|---|---|
| რაზეა ეს წიგნი?razea es ts'igni? | What is this book about? |
| სიყვარულზე და მეგობრობაზე.siq'varulze da megobrobaze. | About love and friendship. |
| მან „ვეფხისტყაოსანი“ დაწერა.man „vepkhist'q'aosani“ dats'era. | He wrote "The Knight in the Panther's Skin". |
| ის მეთორმეტე საუკუნეში დაიწერა.is metormet'e sauk'uneshi daits'era. | It was written in the twelfth century. |
| ათას ხუთასზე მეტი სტროფია.atas khutasze met'i st'ropia. | It has more than 1,500 stanzas. |
"About" is -ზეze: სიყვარულზეsiq'varulze, საქართველოზეsakartveloze; more formally -ის შესახებis shesakheb (lesson 166).
The famous line, word by word
| word | meaning |
|---|---|
| რასაცაrasatsa | what (old poetic form of რასაცrasats) |
| გასცემgastsem | you give away |
| შენიაshenia | is yours |
| რაც არაrats ara | what (you) don't |
| დაკარგულიაdak'argulia | is lost |
Old poetry often adds a vowel to the end of words: რასაცაrasatsa for რასაცrasats. The idea: what you give to others stays with you forever.
ჰქვიაhkvia: is called, is named
ამ გამზირს რუსთაველის სახელი ჰქვია.am gamzirs rustavelis sakheli hkvia.This avenue is named after Rustaveli.
5Good to know
The poem opens with praise of Queen Tamar, under whom Rustaveli lived. It has been translated into many languages; Marjory Wardrop's English prose version, "The Man in the Panther's Skin", came out in 1912.
6Exercises
Choose an answer for each question, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.
- Who wrote ვეფხისტყაოსანიvepkhist'q'aosani?
- When was it written?
- "What is this poem about?" is…
- "about friendship and love" is…
- "Tariel is searching for his beloved" is…
- "more than fifteen hundred stanzas" is…
- "What you give away is yours…" is…
- What did brides traditionally take in their dowry?
- What is a სტრიქონიst'rikoni?
- "This avenue is named after Rustaveli" is…
Well done! Lesson 172 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Ask "What is this book about?"
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რაზეა ეს წიგნი?razea es ts'igni? - Say "It's about love."
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სიყვარულზეა.siq'varulzea. - Say "Rustaveli is Georgia's greatest poet."
Show the answer
რუსთაველი საქართველოს ყველაზე დიდი პოეტია.rustaveli sakartvelos q'velaze didi p'oet'ia. - Say "The poem was written in the twelfth century."
Show the answer
პოემა მეთორმეტე საუკუნეში დაიწერა.p'oema metormet'e sauk'uneshi daits'era. - Quote Rustaveli's famous line.
Show the answer
რასაცა გასცემ, შენია, რაც არა, დაკარგულია.rasatsa gastsem, shenia, rats ara, dak'argulia.
Lesson finished? Now train your ear
Speak Georgian with the 37 LIMBA audio lessons
- 37 audio lessons
- about 13 minutes each
- explained in simple English
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free