Mariam Gorelashvili

Kvemo Artani

Mariam Gorelashvili

Mariam was born in 1936 in Pshavi¹ and married into a neighboring valley in the village Kvemo Artani, which sits along the peaceful Iori River. While in the 1960’s Kvemo Artani was teeming with life, today its houses are mostly empty. It is a beautiful part of the country and crowning the river valley, amidst rolling hills, is a view of the Pshavi highlands of Mariam’s childhood.

To hear another artist from Kvemo Artani, visit the page of Leila Lachishvili.

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

Tina, Goderdzis Kali -

Mariam Gorelashvili

Lyrics

Tina, Goderdzis Kali

(scroll down for English translation)

Shat’ils avida khokhobi

Didgulad dajda jarzeda

Shat’ils avida khokhobi

Didgulad dajda jarzeda

Shvidi gavzarde vazhk’atsi

Arts’ivis nabudarzeda

Shvidsats vuqide topebi

Tito aghk’ide mkharzeda

Shvidsav vuqide khanjlebi

Shvidsav shevart’qi ts’elzeda

Shvidsav vuqide chachknebi

Shvidsav davkhur tavzeda

Shvidsav vuqide tskhenebi

Nachvevi iorghazeda

Shvidsav vuqide tskhenebi

Nachvevi iorghazeda

Daugzavne saakhadoda

Shvilno mshvidobit gzazeda

Tu is kal ver moiqvanet

Nugharamts mokhvalt k’arzeda

Akhal goderdzis tsikheo

Samukara khar mt’risao

Mogivlen kist’is shvilebi

Gamogitkhrian dzirsao

Gamaiqvanen kalasa

Qeli chamoakvs mdzivsao

Ikit kals gamoiqvanen

Qeli chamoakvs mdzivsao

Sharaze gadmoavleven

Tsremlit daibanen p’irsao

Sharaze gadmoavleven

Tsmrelit daibanen p’irsao

Shemokhda tadiauri

Am sakaravno mtazeda

Jer gamarjveba daasts’ro

Ambavsa hk’itkhavs tavzeda

Eg kal saidan mogqavis

Rom moat’irebt gzazeda

Eg kala khadit mogvqavis

Shat’ils und davsvat jarzeda

Umtsros dzmas davakorts’ilebt

Gvirgvins davadgamt tavzeda

Umtsros dzmas davakorts’ilebt

Gvirgvins davadgamt tavzeda

Pui ra giknavt rjul-dzaghlno

Lasharis jvaris qbazeda

Pui ra giknavt rjul-dzaghlno

Lasharis jvaris qbazeda

Eg kal tu ts’agiqvaninot

Ts’veri nu meskhas qbazeda

Eg kal tu ts’agiqvaninot

Ts’veri nu meskhas qbazeda

Gaprtkhildi tadiauro

Tkhis t’qa ar dagrches gzazeda

Gaprtkhildi tadiauro

Tkhis t’qa ar dagrches gzazeda

Tkhis tqav an gadiqreina

Jach’uvma ielva t’anzeda

Tkhis t’qav an gadiqreina

Jach’uvma ielva t’anzeda

Shvid kist’ma ertsa pshavelsa

Gaukhda dasts’rebazeda

Shvid gurgol shemourbina

Shvidsav tav mosch’ra mkharzeda

Ahqara iaraghebi

Kals chamohk’idav mkharzeda

Tavis prangulits kals mistsa

Mshvidobit dao gzazeda

Eg mamashens miut’ane

Is tviton itsnobs pkhazeda

Ara stkva chemi sakhli

Mojibre midga gzazeda

Rom mivalt lashar-ghelesa

Vit’qodet da-dzmobazeda

Rom mivalt lashar-ghelesa

Vit’qodet da-dzmobazeda

Translation:

Tina, Goderdzi’s Daughter

A pheasant ascended to Shatili

And sat haughtily by a spinning-wheel

I raised seven sons

In the place where eagles used to nest

I bought guns for the seven

I put guns on their shoulders

I bought daggers for the seven

I put daggers on their waists

I bought helmets for the seven

I covered their heads with helmets

I bought horses for the seven,

Racing horses

I sent them to Akhadi¹

I wished them a peaceful journey -

"If you don’t bring back that woman

Don’t bother coming home"

There is Goderdzi Castle

A threat to enemies

The sons of Kists² will come

And dig up its foundation

They will pull a woman out of the castle

A woman with a necklace

They will drag her onto the road

And wash their faces with her tears

Tadiauri meets them

On the mountain where caravans pass

He asks them first

About their affairs

-From where are you bringing this woman,

This woman who is crying on the road?

-We are bringing this woman from Akhadi

We are taking her through Shat'ili

We will marry her to our youngest brother

We will put a crown on her head

-What have you done, you faithless dogs

In the name of Lashari's Cross³

You faithless dogs have done this in vain

In the name of Lashari's Cross

If I let you take this woman

Then I shall not be a man

-Beware Tadiauri, your goatskin is liable

To be left there on the road.

He took the goatskin off

The chainmail glowed on his body

Seven Kists against one Pshav

But he was more determined

He ran around the seven

He severed their seven heads

He removed their weapons

And put them on the woman’s shoulder

He also gave her his sword

-Sister, I wish you a peaceful journey

Take this sword to your father

He will recognize it

Don’t tell him my name

For there are other horsemen on the road

When we meet at Lashar-Ghele³

We will become brother and sister

¹ A village in the Pshavi highland where Mariam Gorelashvili's family is from.

² The term Kist used to be used by Georgians to refer to Chechens. The term today is used specifically to refer to people of Chechen ancestry living in Georgia.

³ Lashari, also referred to as Lashari's Cross, a sanctuary to Saint George of Lashari. Located in the northeast highland of Pshavi and famous throughout Georgia, the mountaintop shrine used to be the political and religious center for Pshavs. The festivals of Lasharoba and Tamaroba (the latter referring to Lashari's sister shrine at Tamar-Ghele) are still celebrated every July in Pshavi. It is worth noting that historically these summertime festivals also served as meeting places for young men and women who came from all valleys and mountains of eastern Georgia.

About song

The story of Tina of the Goderdzauli family has been popularized in folk poetry throughout eastern Georgia. Here we witness a performance from Mariam Gorelashvili, whose family comes from Akhadi Village in Upper Pshavi, the place where Tina Goderdzauli was from.

Tina was famous throughout the highlands for her beauty. It is said that her father built a tower in Akhadi just to protect her from being kidnapped and forcibly wedded, which was customarily admitted at the time. The tower did not stop a horde of Kist¹ brothers from taking Tina away from Akhadi in an attempt to marry her to their younger brother in Chechnya. The legend says that a man from the Tadiauri family of Matura, the largest Pshav village at the time, finds the kidnappers on the pass and single handedly kills them all.

Multiple versions of this story exist, exchanging Kists for other neighboring tribes and placing Tina's tower in other villages in northeastern Georgia. There are multiple endings to the story, some having the hero marry Tina and others having Tadiauri return Tina to her father.

¹Referring to Chechens.

To hear another version of this song, visit the page of Zhora Kharaishvili.

Contact information

Email:

TsutisopeliProject@gmail.com

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