An anthology of Georgian folk poetry

This is a collection of folk poetry from Transcaucasian Georgia, presented in both the original Georgian language and in English translation. Seventy poems have been selected to represent each of the twenty regions of Georgia as well as its principal poetic genres, and they include themes of love and war, hymns and mythological texts, humor, and reflections on the meaning of life.

Included in this work are transliterations of the Georgian alphabet; an introductory chapter providing an overview of the Georgian people and their culture as well as a detailed presentation of the structure of folk poetry and its relation to music and dance; and explanatory notes accompanying the poems that furnish the reader with some of the ethnographic background needed to interpret the poems and understand the contexts in which they were composed.

This comprehensive volume is illustrated with a map, photographs, and musical examples.