Sakeipo Simghera

(scroll down for English translation)

Khonchebo riano

Khonchebo khonchebo genatsvale

Khoncheb khink’lebiano

Erda k’okht’a saqvareli

Sanam dak’argviano

Shampuro riano

Shampur shampur genatsavale

Shampur mts’vadebiano

Erda k’okht’a saqvareli

Sanam dak’argviano

Botlebo, riano

Botleb botleb genatsvale

Botleb arqebiano

Erda k’okht’a saqvareli

Sanam damk’argviano

Translation:

Party Song
 

Wooden sieve, what are you for?¹

Wooden sieve, wooden sieve, genatsvale²

Wooden sieve for our khinkali³

So dear and precious to us

Until we've gone through it all!
 

Roasting spit, what are you for?

Roasting spit, roasting spit, genatsvale

Roasting spit for our mtsvadi4️⃣

So dear and precious to us

Until we've gone through it all!

Bottles, what are you for?!

Bottles, bottles, genatsvale

Bottles for our araqi5️⃣

Once elegant and pretty

Until we've gone through it all!

¹A khonch is a traditional kitchen utensil, a sieve spoon (wooden spoon with holes in it) used for khinkali (dumplings). In this song, the singer is talking to the khonch.

²Literally me instead of you, (to take the hardships off of someone and onto oneself), it is used as a term of endearment.  In this stanza for example, the singer is doting upon the konch, the tool that he knows will bring dumplings to his plate.

³Dumplings, much praised in the moutains of northeastern Georgian.

4️⃣Another food of Georgia, specifically in the east: Pieces of pork roasted over the fire on spits, served sometimes with raw onion and pomegranate (shish kebab / shashlik)

5️⃣Hard liquor frequently made of apple or other fruits that grow in the mountains, but also made from grape sedements.

Tianeturi Alilo

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Alilo da krist’es shobas

Krist’e dabadebulao

Alilo da krist’e dabadebulao he

Es rom mts’qemsebma gaiges

Mividnen da p’at’ivi stses mas

Alilo da mividnen da p’at’ivi stses mas

Shashvi ghobeze shamojda

Idzakhda kriste’s shobaso

Alilo da idzakhda kriste’s shobaso he

Translation:

Christmas Carol¹ From Tianeti

Alilo, Christ’s birth

Christ is born

Alilo and Christ is born
 

When the shepherds heard this

They made a visit to pay their respects

Alilo, They visited and paid their respects

A blackbird sat on a fence

Saying, Christ is born!

Alilo, saying Christ is born!

¹Alilo is the term for Christmas carol.

Pshauri Sakhumaro

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Mutseli shamamebera

Sheni bralia ts’ats’alo

Dasdikhar pekhshisvelai

Shagtsivdeboda sats’qalo

Kalasa vtkhove ar mamtsa

Rusulat mitkhra niat’o

Mits’itamts amogevseba

Chemd dzviri skhvistvis iapo

Translation:

Joke Song from Pshavi¹

My stomach is swollen

It is your fault, Tsatsal²

You are walking around barefoot

You might catch a cold

I begged, but she wouldn't give it to me

In Russian she answered back, No!

May your stomach be filled with earth

For me so expensive and for others so cheap!

¹A highland in northeastern Georgia. Read more about Pshavi here.

²Lover

Shirakis Velze Mivdivar  

(scroll down for English translation)

Shirakis velze mivdivar, uk’an mabrunebs kario

Ts’in shemeqara p’ep’ela, ts’itlaid uchanda mkhario

Saqvarlis k’abas vamsgavze, ghmerto damts’ere jvario

Chvens ikit didi velia, ia da vardi hpenia

Shiga zis kali lamazi, tavis tmisagan bnelia

Kals savartskheli raid unda, dalalai okros peria

Net’av prinvelad maktsia, shensk’en gamovqve niavsa

Sabnisa ts’veri avtsio, t’uchze gak’otso mzinarsa

Arts ra shen dagishavdes, arts me davarde ziansa

(An additional verse, not sung by Lavrent)

[Movedi qels mogekhvio, arts gaushlelsa iasa

Sabnisa ts’veri avtsio, t’uchze gak’otso mzinarsa

Arts ra shen dagishavdes, arts me davrchebi ziansa]

Translation:

I go to Shiraki Valley¹, the wind forcing my return

I meet a butterfly on my way, and her red shoulders

Remind me of my beloved’s dress. God have mercy on me!

Over there in the vast valley, violets and roses bloom

Within it sits a beautiful woman, her face hidden in her hair

She doesn't even need a comb for her thick, golden tresses

How I wish I were a bird, I would fly to you on the breeze

I'd raise the edge of your blanket and kiss your sleeping lips

I won’t harm you, and my heart will heal

[I came to embrace your glorious neck, O violet

To raise the edge of your blanket and kiss your sleeping lips

I won’t harm you, and my heart will heal.]

¹A large arid plain on the border of Azerbaijan in southeastern Georgia where there are several villages. It is an area where shepherds bring their flocks to graze during the wintertime before ascending to summertime pastures.