By the By

Rustaveli’s immortal Knight in the Panther Skin tells of Tariel, a forlorn knight in love with the king of India’s beautiful daughter. Sadly, the lovelorn lady’s father condemns the match and betroths her to another, setting her adrift at sea until she agrees to wed his choice. After searching the world over for his beloved, dressed all the while in a panther skin, Tariel is joined by the Arabian army chieftain, who knows a thing or two about love. Together they locate the imprisoned princess…

To find out how the story ends, you’ll have to read it yourself. Meanwhile here’s an excerpt from the latest English translation, which captures some of the original rhyme and meter:

I, Rustaveli, did this deed half-crazed by the presence I crave.

The ruler whom whole armies obey is the reason that I rave.

No cure or remedy exists for the illness my loving gave:

The one I love must ease my pain, or this earth will soon be my grave.

(Shota Rustaveli, The Knight in the Panther Skin, trans. Lyn Coffin [Poezia Press, 2015])