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Liza was born in Ts’k’ere, the highest village in the Khada Gorge of Mtiuleti. Ts’k’ere is nothing less than breathtaking -- an old stone settlement adorned with towers, seated beneath many hilltop shrines and churches. Although few people live there today, it is Liza’s homeland: a place filled with memories of childhood, visions of deep snow, singing families, and the thousands of sheep that belonged to the valley cooperative during the Soviet Union.
Liza married into the neighboring valley of Lak’atkhevi where her husband later became a khevisberi,1 in charge of leading religious ceremonies and tending to places of prayer.
In the springtime, the front of their one-story house is crowned with brilliantly blooming georgina flowers, and surrounded with the scent of Liza’s homemade bread wafting up from the outdoor oven.
In her sweet, lilting voice, Liza shares with us a lifetime of song.
1A ''valley elder'' in the northeastern highlands of Georgia. This term historically referred to a local elected leader, responsible for the political and military life of his community. In contrast, a dekanozi was the chosen head priest in charge of the shrines and spiritual life of his highland community. By the 19th century, as the dekanozi began taking on the responsibilities of the khevisberi the two titles merged into one. Today this leader is responsible for tending to the local mountain shrines. In Khevi, Mtiuleti and Tusheti he is referred to as a dekanozi, whereas Pshavs and Khevsurs use the term khevisberi.
This song about a man exiled to Kazakhstan is based on a poem by Ioseb Noneshvili written in 1954-1955.
Bich’o Ikneb P’ap’a Iqo Sheni
(scroll down for English translation)
Titkos gulshi amipetkda mekhi
Ts’arbi shehk’ar mogeghrubla sakhe
/Belt’ta shoris rotsa qamirs t’ekhdi
K’atsis chonchkhi da bork’ili nakhe/
Sad shests’qdeba sitsotskhlis gza grdzeli
Sadaursa, sad ts’aiqvan bedo
/Bich’o ikneb p’ap’a iqo sheni
Visats pekhze eg bork’ili edo/
Bich’o ikneb p’ap’a iqo sheni
Sheebrdzola mepis adat-ts’esebs
/Chamohp’arses glekhk’atss tsali ts’veri
Shebork’ili tsimbirs gaamts’eses/
Ikneb gulshi ver dapara okhvra
Aujanqda bat’ons namus-mokhdils
/ Da mit’omats daurchines okhrad
Gutneuli da chaluri kokhi/
Qazakhetshi sir-dariis akhlos
Shejach’vuli moiqvanes albat
/Bardauk’vrel velebsa da akhos
Glekhi k’atsi gakhedavda kharbad/
Gakhedavda qamirs, tsvarshi nabans
Inat’rebda gamok’vetil sakhniss
/Da qevar khars-nishasa da ts’ablas
Ts’in garek’il shvilishvilis sakhrit./
Magram, vaglakh, nat’vras hgavda zghap’ars
Qamirebze daghlilivit mits’va
/Shebork’ili, shejach’vuli, p’ap’a
Miibares qazakhetis mits’am/
Tsremlit arvin daunama k’alta
Vegharts gakhda ts’qvili santlis ghirsits
/Varsk’vlavebmats gaunates tavtan
Da sudarad gadepara nisli/
Sadaursa sad ts’aiqvan bedo
Sitsotskhlis gzas sad ar gaduk’et’av
/Saplavshiats bork’ilebi edo
Mk’vdari sadgha ts’avidoda net’av?!/
Dastskhe bich’o, mag t’rakt’oris grials
Belt’i belt’ze miats’vine mardad
/Dastskhe bich’o, mag t’rakt’oris grials
Sakartvelos mta da barits usmens
Translation:
Could Be He Was Your Grandfather
It is as if thunder had exploded in my heart
Your brows furrowed and your face clouded over
As you were breaking the virgin clods of earth
And saw a man’s skeleton in shackles
Where does the long road of life begin?
Fate, where are you taking us?
Boy, it could be that he was your grandfather
On whose feet lay those shackles
Boy, it could be that he was your grandfather
Who fought against the King’s customs and orders
They shaved off the peasant man’s moustache
Put him in chains and exiled him to Siberia
Maybe he couldn’t hide his moaning
And revolted against the Lord’s spoiled conscience
Which is why
They destroyed his house
They took him to Kazakhstan
Near Sirdaria, perhaps chained
The peasant man looked out fervidly
He looked out at the dewy new soil
Wishing for his destroyed house
Hoping that Nisha and Tsabla
Were let out in front of his grandchild’s house
But alas, his wishes were dreams
He lay down on the soil
Chained and shackled grandpa
Buried in Kazakhstan’s earth
There was no one to bathe him in tears
Nor was there anyone to light a worthy candle
His eyes shined like stars
As a shroud of fog covered him
Fate, where are you taking us?
Where do you not close life’s door?
Even in the grave he lay in shackles
Where could he go, I wonder?
Let’s go boy, drive that rumbling tractor
Quickly from one clod of earth to another
Let’s go boy, drive that rumbling tractor
Georgia’s mountains and valleys are listening
Omis Ts’leebi
(scroll down for English translation)
Irgvlis chamots’va ghrubeli
Tsas gadaek’ra shavia
Shavi chaitsva khmeletma
Mzes moek’etsa zhangia
Manatobelma varsk’vlavma
Tsremli daghvares mts’aria
Uts’in it’iret mebrdzolni
Vints velze darcha mk’vdaria
Misita siskhlit eghebos
Es mts’vane brdzolis velia
/Vints mok’vda mt’ertan brdzolashi
Ghmertma atskhonos mk’vdaria/
Zogisa deda it’irda
Zogisa mamis dzmania
Zogisa sheqvarebulma
T’anze chaitsva shavia
Hit’lers daebas tvalebi
Ena daebas grdzelia
Mets matgana var dach’rili
Mati t’qviit mdis siskhlia
Rom medzineba sizmarshi
Dedasa vkhedav k’arzeda
Ikit gastskeris bilik’ebs
Shvili kho ar momdis gzazeda
Me k’i tma gamoshvebuli
Vitom vudgavar gverdzeda
Me k’i tma gamoshvebuli
Vitom vudgavar gverdzeda
Haerovani salami
Dedas miartvit k’arzeda
Utkharit tsremli ar ghvaros
Nurts shavs chaitsvams t’anzeda
Chemi tseli da namgali
Ar gait’anos k’arzeda
Maints aghara hqav mtibeli
Rom chamotibos mtazeda
Da isits zhangma shech’amos
Ek’idos bodzis tavzeda
Da isits zhangma shech’amos
Ek’idos bodzis tavzeda
Translation:
Times of War
The clouds have settled above
The sky has turned black
The land has turned black
And the sun is rusting away
The luminous star
Cries bitterly
Weeping for the warriors
Left dead in the valley
This warrior’s green valley
Has been painted with blood
May those who died at the hands of the enemy
Be given life by God
Some were mourned by their mothers
Others were mourned by their father's brothers
For some, lovers cried
All dressed in black
May the eyes of Hitler darken
May his tongue darken, too
I too am wounded because of him
I bleed from his bullets
As I sleep in my dreams
I see my mother at the door
She looks out at the road ahead
Saying ''Is that my child on the way?''
My hair is let down
It’s as though I stand by her side
Send a hello wave of the hand
To my mother at the door
Tell her not to shed a tear
And not to mourn in black
Do not take my scythe and sickle
Off of their hooks
Even though she has no one to mow
The grasses for hay on the mountain
Let rust eat them away
Leave them hanging on their hooks
Let rust eat them away
Leave them hanging on their hooks
This song, which is loosely based on several verses of a poem by Ilia Ch'avch'avadze, refers to the period of feudalism in Georgia.
Bat’onebze
(scroll down for English translation)
Mashin tormet’i ts’lisa viqavi
/Rotsa b’atonma, vaime, sakhls momashara/
Ts’amsve dzrokhashi mimik’res tavi
/Chems sakhl-k’aridan, vaime, gamagdes shora/
Jer k’i davghondi dachagrda guli
/Qopna umshoblod, vaime, medzneleboda/
Mivujdebodi ert buchkis dziras
/Da ik mart’ok’a, vaime, didkhans vt’irodi/
P’at’ara chemi amkhanagebi
/Chems gulchvilobas, vaime, ik dastsinodnen/
Davits’qebodat tavis dardebi
/Rotsa isinits, vaime, chemebr t’irodnen/
P’at’ara gulma gamoidara
/Tan gadit’ana, vaime, naghveli chemi/
Translation:
Lords
I was twelve years old then
When the Lord took me from my house
He sent me to the cows
Kicking me far away from my home
At first my heart was wounded and sad
Being without my parents would be so hard
I sat under a bush
And cried there for a long time, alone
My young friends
Laughed at my soft-heartedness
They had forgotten their own sorrows
When they were laughed at for crying like me
My little heart survived
And the sorrow gradually left
A shepherd song called ''I Will Follow the White Roads of My Flock.''
Mival Mivqvebi Tetri Gzebi
As sung by Liza Karchaidze
(scroll down for English translation)
Mival mivqvebi tetri gzebit
Me chems parasa
Bat’k’an khelshi mqavs
Da umgheri iavnanasa, iavnanananananasa
Me sakartvelos siqvarulis
Ts’qaro mts’quria
Chemi saunje nabadi da salamuria
Chemi salamuria
Here is a fuller version of this song, with more verses:
Mival mivqvebi tetri gzebit
Me chems parasa
Bat’k’an khelshi mqavs
Da umgheri iavnanasa,
Iavnaninanasa
Me sakartvelos silamazes
Ts’qaro mts’quria
Chemi saunje nabadi da salamuria
Chemi salamuria
Salamuri lertsmisa
Siqvaruli sevdisa
Vmgheri mkholod shentvisa
Kalav kalav mzekalav
Sheni sakhe tan mdevs qvelgana
Chemi sakhl-k’ari
Mobibinem mta da deloa
Chemi saunje prtakhat’ula
Sakartveloa
Chemi sakartveloa
Salamuri lertsmisa
Siqvaruli sevdisa
Vmgheri mkholod shentvisa
Kalav kalav mzekalav
Sheni sakhe tan mdevs qvelgana
Translation:
I Will Follow The White Roads
I will go and follow the white roads
Of my flock
In my hands I have a lamb
And I sing to it a lullaby
I am thirsty for the beauty
Of Georgia’s springs
My treasures are the nabadi1 and salamuri2
My salamuri
The salamuri’s reed
The sorrow of love
I sing only for you
Woman, woman, sun woman
Your face follows me everywhere
My house and my door
Sways in the mountains and valleys
My treasure, my winged icon
My Georgia
The salamuri’s reed
The sorrow of love
I sing only for you
Woman, woman, sun-woman
Your face follows me everywhere
1Shepherd’s wool cloak
2Traditional Georgian wooden flute. Read more about the salamuri here.
This song is loosely based on Vazha-Pshavela's1 poem ''Eteri.''
1Luka Razikashvili (1861-1916) was one of Georgia’s most famous poets and writers. He wrote under the pen name Vazha-Pshavela, which literally means the ''son from Pshavi.'' He was born and raised in the village of Chargali where a museum for him, opened in 1961, exists today.
Ra Udaburi Ch’alaa
(scroll down for English translation)
Ra udaburi ch’alaa
Rogor didroni mtebia
/Arsait sopeli moschans
Arsad savali gzebia/
An k’ldeze gadavvardebi
Jogi damqveba mglebisa
/An t’qvia shematamashebs
Gamosrolili mt’rebisa/
An ch’ala sadme gamriqavs
Zvavi chamosul mtebisa
/Damekhvevian svavebi
Chrdili damparavs mtebisa/
Translation:
The Untouched Grove
What an untouched grove
What enormous mountains
Nowhere can a village be seen
Nowhere are there walking paths
I will either fall off a cliff
Followed by a pack of wolves
Or be killed by a bullet
Shot by the enemies
Or the grove will take me somewhere else --
To the mountains’ avalanches
Griffins attack me
But I am saved by the mountain’s shadow
This is a Christmas carol from Khada Gorge where Liza grew up. She remembers traveling from door to door with her peers as a child, singing this song in return for little presents like fruits and nuts.
To hear another Alilo, visit the page of Laurent' Jamarauli.
Khadas Alilo
Otsdakhutsa am tveshia
Krist’e dabadebulao
Shegets’iot krist’es madli
Tetrad gatenebulao
Alatasa balatasa
Chamovk’idebt k’alatasa
Tito k’vertskhi chvents mogvetsit
Ghmerti mogtsemt barakasa
Translation:
Christmas Carol from Khada
On the 25th of this month
Christ was born
Grant us Christ’s mercy
Day breaks in white colors
I will hang up the basket
Give us each an egg
God will grant you bounty
Liza omits the first two lines of the second stanza that is included in ''Lyrics.'' Children during the time of the Soviet Union in Georgia learned this song in school.
Mts’qemsi Var
(scroll down for English translation)
Mts’qemsi var paras mivrek’av
Tsaze tsisk’ari antia
/Ts’in vegebebi chongurit
Samshoblos qovel gantiads/
Tumtsa ubralo mts’qemsi var
Ertkhel ar damok’vnesia
Radgan p’art’ia mshvidobis
Da gamarjvebis mts’qemsia
Translation:
I Am a Shepherd
I am a shepherd, driving away the flock
When day breaks in the sky
I meet it with the chonguri1
The homeland’s every dawn
Although I am a simple shepherd
I have not complained even once
That is why the Party is the shepherd of
Peace and victory
1The panduri, which Liza plays here for this song, is often referred to as a chonguri, a four-stringed lute played in western Georgia. Research shows that the chonguri evolved from the panduri, and people in eastern Georgia frequently use the name ''chonguri'' for the ancient version of the instrument. Read more about the history of both instruments here.
A love song, performed by the Tush singer Lela Tataraidze.
Gaizapkhulebs K’ordebi
(scroll down for English translation)
Gaizapkhulebs k’ordebi
K'abebs iebi mortaven
Nu it'qvi ar mqvarebia
Ak’i gviqvarda ortaves
Erturts bilik’ze shevkhvdit da
Dghesats davedzebt ertmanets
Net’avi bedi rad gvtsdida
An am molodins ra dalevs
Ts’akhvel da gadaepare
Vit nisli goris pkhazeda
Ra madls izamdi nanat’ro
Shemeqrebode gzazeda
Gadaiares karebma
Ch’oraobit da khvivilit
Ts’akhvedi da damit’ove
Mourcheneli t’k’ivili
[Dghesats its’vima gushinats
Guli dardebma danisla
Edemis baghshi shevedi
Savse gamovel dardita]
Translation:
Summer Arrives In The Fields
Summer arrives in the fields
Violets decorate your dresses
Don’t say you didn't love me
For we did love each other
We met each other on the path
We are still looking for one another
Why has fate tested us so?
What can stop all of this waiting?
You left and like the mist
Covered the mountaintop
You could have been so kind
As to meet me on the road
The winds pass by
Gossiping and sobbing
You went and you left me
With an incurable pain
an additional verse:
[It rained today, and yesterday as well
My heart is full of foggy sorrow
I entered the garden of Eden
And am leaving it, full of sorrow]
Giqureb Da Veghara Gtsnob
(scroll down for English translation)
Giqureb da veghara gtsnob
Nutu shena khar
Gushin shavgvremani iqav
Dghes k’i kera khar
/ Ui ui eg tvalebi
Vaime eg ts’amts’amebi
Chemi mgonia /
Atasnair pekhsatsmelit
Pekhebs ats’valeb
Gikhdeba tu ar gikhdeba
Maints at’areb
/ Ui ui eg tvalebi
Vaime eg ts’amts’amebi
Chemi mgonia /
Giqureb da veghara gtsnob
Nutu shena khar
Gushin shavgvremani iqav
Dghes k’i kera khar
/ Ui ui eg tvalebi
Vaime eg ts’amts’amebi
Chemi mgonia /
Translation:
I look at you but I don't recognize you
Is it you, or not?
Yesterday you had black hair
And today you are a blonde
Oh Oh! Those eyes!
Oh My! Those eyelashes!
That’s what I think.
A thousand different pairs of shoes
You wear on your feet
Whether they suit you or not
You still put them on
Oh Oh! Those eyes!
Oh My! Those eyelashes!
That’s what I think.
I look at you but I don't recognize you
Is it you, or not?
Yesterday you had black hair
And today you are a blonde
Oh Oh! Those eyes!
Oh My! Those eyelashes!
That’s what I think.
Kalau, Ramdeni K’ilo Khar
(scroll down for English translation)
Kalau, dak’ripe kliavi
/Prtkhilad iqavi, ar chamoarde
Uberavs niavi/
/Kalau, da ramdeni k’ilo khar?/
Shvidi k’ilo da shvidasi grami
Met’i ar gamokhval
Jibeshi chagisvam ise gat’areb
Ra mdzime shena khar
Translation:
Woman, How Much Do You Weigh?
Woman, pick a plum
Be careful, don’t fall
For the wind is blowing
Woman, how much do you weigh?
You can't be more than
Seven kilos and seven hundred grams
I could put you in my pocket
And carry you like that
That’s how heavy you are!
A song about Darial.
The Darial Gorge, or Pass, also known as the Caucasian Gates, connects Georgia to Russia. It is historically important as it serves as one of two (the other being Derbend) passageways between the North and South Caucasus.
Darialze
(scroll down for English translation)
T’ialo darialao
K’ldeebi khar, tsariealao
Jikhvebis salaghobelo
Arts’ivta sabudarao
T’ialo darialao
K’ldeebi khar, tsariealao
Gamshvenebs tamaris tsikhe
Nagebi didi khnisao
Dzirs tergi akapebuli
Mqinvarts’vers shuki mzisao
T’ialo darialao
K’ldeebi khar, tsariealao
Jikhvebis salaghobelo
Arts’ivta sabudarao
Translation:
Darial1
Poor Darial
You are merely rocks, empty
Amusement for the mountain goats
A nesting place for the eagles
Poor Darial
You are merely rocks, empty
Your beauty is enhanced by Tamar's2 Castle
Built such a long time ago
Below is the foaming Tergi3
The tip of Qazbegi’s glacier is lit by the sun
Poor Darial
You are merely rocks, empty
Amusement for the mountain goats
A nesting place for the eagles
1The Darial Gorge, or Pass, also known as the Caucasian Gates, connects Georgia to Russia. It is historically important because it serves as one of two (the other being Derbend) passageways between the North and South Caucasus.
2Tamar of Georgia, who reigned as queen of the country from 1184-1213 during Georgia's Golden Age. She was so beloved that Georgians refer to her to this day as ''Tamar Mepe'' or King Tamar. She remains a very important cultural symbol, and has been canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church as Holy Righteous King Tamar.
3The Tergi River is one of the major rivers in the North Caucasus. It flows through the Darial Gorge in Georgia, through North Ossetia, Chechnya, and Daghestan, and into the Caspian Sea.
A love song.
Ts’amodi Ts’agiqvan
(scroll down for English translation)
Sad mikhval p’at’ara, sad gechkareba
Migelis lamazo tsisper tvaleba
Sevdiis amara rat’om damt’ove
P’at’ara chemo p’at’ara
Ts’amodi ts’agiqvan miuval mtebshi
Dagik’rep qvavilebs chagatsnav tmebshi
Sevdiis amara rat’om damt’ove
P’at’ara chemo p’at’ara
Translation:
Where will you go, little one
Where are you hurrying to be?
Migel’s beautiful light-blue eyes
Why have you left me with sorrow
My little one, little one
Come, and I'll take you to the mountains
I will pick you flowers
And braid them in your hair
Why have you left me with sorrow
My little one, little one
This song is loosely based on an excerpt from a five-act historical play called ''P'at'ara K'akhi'' by Ak'ak'i Ts'ereteli (1840-1915), a prominent Georgian poet.
Tamro da Gabro
(scroll down for English translation)
Uprosebisgan gamigonia
K’atsebi kalebs abriqvebena
/Da siqvaruls rom gamost’quvnian, vaime,
Gulgrilad khelsats aighebeno/
Eg martalia mokhdeba kholme
Magram me skhva var nu chamrev matshi
/Mashin shemirtskhves gvarshi chemi lamazo
Chemi bich’oba da ts’ver ulvashi/
Shen genatsvalos gars chemi tavi
Ushenod kveqnad gana k’i gavdzleb
/Asi sitsotskhle rom mkondes ertad vaime,
Shen shemogts’irav shen daganatsveleb/
Okh siqvarulo! Sit’k’boebis zghva
Gauzomelo sivrtsis udziro
/Tvit uk’vdavebis k’amk’ama ts’qaro
Chemtvis tsisa da kveqnis k’avshiro/
Shen genatsvalos gars chemi tav
Ushenod kveqnad gana k’i gavdzleb
Asi sotsotskhle rom mkondes ertad vaime
Shen shemogts’irav shen daganatsvleb
Translation:
Tamro and Gabro
I have heard from the elders
That men are impolite to women
When they get love from them
They take it indifferently
It’s true that it often happens
But I am different - I don’t mix with that kind!
Even if I am to feel ashamed in my family
Of my boyhood and my moustache
Shen genatsvalos1
Without you I cannot endure
If I had a hundred lives
I would exchange them all for you
Oh, love! A sea of sweetness
An unmeasured and bottomless space!
This immortal, transparent spring
Is for me the joining of the land and sky
Shen genatsvalos
Without you I cannot endure
If I had a hundred lives
I would exchange them all for you
1Literally means ''me instead of you,'' and is used as a term of endearment.
This song's lyrics are an excerpt from a poem by Vazha-Pshavela.1
1Luka Razikashvili (1861-1916) was one of Georgia’s most famous poets and writers. He wrote under the pen name Vazha-Pshavela, which literally means ''son from Pshavi.'' He was born and raised in the village of Chargali where a museum for him, opened in 1961, exists today.
Maghal Mts’vervalze Videki
Maghal mts’vervalze videki
Tvalts’in mepina kveqana
Mze mtvare gulze mesvena
Lap’arak’obdi ghmerttana
Translation:
I stood atop a high summit
The entire country laying before me
The sun and moon weighing on my heart
Talking with God
A shairi1
1The world ''shairi'' means a short poetic verse – The practice of shairoba was found in the northeast highlands of Georgia, where two singers would alternate improvisational comical verses, often above the drone of other singers at the table.
Gaghma Gavrek'e Bat'ebi, Shairi
(scroll down for English translation)
Gaghma gavrek’e bat’ebi
Gamoghma daviarebi
Ghmerto gasts’qvit’e kalebi
Utsolo daviarebi
Darira Darirarira Darira,
Darirarira Darira
Darirarira Darira
Magizhebs sheni tvalebi
Da mak’argvinebs ch’k’uasa
Me khom vitsi rom giqvarvar
Rad meubnebi uarsa
Darira Darirarira Darira…
Net’avi kalav sheni khma
Mdzinares gamagonao
Shentan damigo logini
Shen mk’lavze gamagorao
Darira Darirarira Darira…
Net’avi radme maktsia
Bulbulad gadamaktsia
Bulbulis ena masts’avla
Shens ezos shemomachvia
Darira Darirarira Darira…
Siqvaruli dzneliao
Dzneli mosatmeniao
Vints siqvaruli ar itsis
Mistan araperiao
Darira Darirarira Darira…
Shav bich’o shavi nabadi
Ghilk’ino uk’an gzidavso
Arts ara bich’i shena khar
Arts ara guli mzidavso
Translation:
Joke Song
I called out to the geese across the river
I walked to the other side
God, rid the world of women
For I am alone, without a wife…
Your eyes drive me mad
I will lose my mind
I know you love me
So why do you refuse me?
If only I could hear your voice
In my sleep
Lay out a bed at your place
For I wish to lie with you
If only I could be something else
A nightingale, for instance!
I would learn the nightingale’s language
And show up in your garden
Love is difficult
It is hard to be tolerant
For those who don't know love
There is nothing
You in the black shepherd's cloak
With buttons down its back
You are not a boy either
Nor the bearer of a heart
This song is loosely taken from part of Vazha-Pshavela’s1 ''Bakht’rioni'' – a piece he wrote in 1892. In the text, a conversation takes place between the traveler K’viria and an old woman named Sanata. K'viria is speaking in this excerpt.
1Luka Razikashvili (1861-1916) was one of Georgia’s most famous poets and writers. He wrote under the pen name Vazha-Pshavela, which literally means the “son from Pshavi.” He was born and raised in the village of Chargali where a museum for him, opened in 1961, exists today.
Bakht’rioni: K’viria
(scroll down for English translation)
Sad sitsiveshi vgdebulvar
Or-k’viraobit mshieri
Arts var iseti drouli
Utskhos vgonivar khnieri
Dedao, deda mt’ertasa
Mets bevri vnakhe ch’iria
Otss ts’elsa skhvata shviloba,
Samshoblo gamits’iria
Ots ts’els mits’a makvs leibad
Tsa maparia sabnada
/Avdarshi shavi nislebi
Momekhvevian nabdada/
Da pshavis, khevis st’umarsa
Ghamit vkhadavdit mtvaresa
Sabarod gadmomavalsa
Ambavs vk’itkhavdi ts’erosa
/Ra ts’erilobas gagvits’evs
Tovlze ambavi vsts’erota/
Translation:
Bakht’rioni: K'viria
Somewhere in the cold I was left
For two weeks, hungry
I am not so old that
A stranger would think me elderly
Oh Mother, the enemies!
I too have seen so much pain
For 20 years I've been someone else’s child
Rescued only by the homeland
For 20 years the land has served as my mattress
And the sky as my blanket
In bad weather the black fog
Surrounds me like a shepherd's cloak
A guest of the Pshavi Valley1
I watched the moon set
On the plains at night
I asked the crane for news
What postman could it be
Who wrote news in the snow?
1A highland in northeastern Georgia. Read more about Pshavi here.
This song is based on an excerpt from Vazha-Pshavela’s1 ''Bakht’rioni'' in which an old woman named Sanata speaks to a traveler named K’viria. In this excerpt, Sanata is speaking.
1Luka Razikashvili (1861-1916) was one of Georgia’s most famous poets and writers. He wrote under the pen name Vazha-Pshavela, which literally means the ''son from Pshavi.'' He was born and raised in the village of Chargali where a museum for him, opened in 1961, exists today.
Bakht’rioni: Sanata
(scroll down for English translation)
Sadauri khar dedilav
An sadauri kalia
Sanatai var me shvilo
Apkhushauri kalia
Aka var gamotkhovili
Beridze mqavda kmari
Shvidi gavzarde vazhk’atsi
Tito loms dasadaria
Shvidiv gamits’qda ert dghesa
Mamats imattan mk’vdaria
/Khosharis gorze davmarkhe
Tavze dast’iris karia/
Translation:
Bakht'rioni: Sanata
Where are you from, Mother?
Where is this woman from?
I am Sanata, child
From the Apkhushauri Family
I was married here
My husband was a Beridze1
I raised seven young men
Each one of them a lion
All of them were slaughtered in one day
Their father died with them, too
I buried them at Khoshari Hill
The wind cries over their heads
1A Georgian surname
This is a folk song referring to the times of tribal wars between the neighboring peoples of Mtiuleti and Ossetia.
Today the separatist state of South Ossetia borders the territory of the Mtiul people in northeastern Georgia.
Mtiulet Osetis Omi
(scroll down for English translation)
Osets iqreba lashkari
Sali miudzghnis ts’inao
Gadvidet mtiuletshia
Naghvarevs davdgat binao
P’irvelad khada gavt’ekhot
Rom arvin dagvrches shinao
/Varchiot kali ra rdzali
Salis mivartvat shinao/
Es rom mtiulets gaiges
Ts’elze shaibes rk’inao
Shvidiatasi k’atsisgan mtiulebma
Shvidni gagzavnis shinao
Translation:
The Mtiuleti - Ossetia War
The Ossetians gathered an army
Sali stood at the front
Let’s go to Mtiuleti
And set up camp
Let’s crush Khada1 first
Until no one is left inside
Let’s choose women and daughters
To offer Sali at home
When the Mtiul people heard this
They took up their irons
Out of seven thousand Mtiul men
Only seven returned home
1A highland gorge in Mtiuleti where Liza was born and raised.
A shairi1
1The world ''shairi'' means a short poetic verse – The practice of shairoba was found in the northeast highlands of Georgia, where two singers would alternate improvisational comical verses, often above the drone of other singers at the table.
Sakorts’ilos Shairi
(scroll down for English translation)
Ertkhelis viqav korts’ilshi
Dzalian davitveri
Kalastan qopna momts’adda
Avdek da ts’amoveli
K’ardak’et’ilshi damikhvda
Erdoze gadavdzveri
Ts’amomiprinda beberi
Maqara tskhli dgheni
/She dasats’velo saidan
Ak sait gadmozdzveri
Mirt’qa da mirt’qa jokhebi
Amatreina ts’eli/
Translation:
Joke Song from a wedding
Once when I was at a wedding
I drank so much
I wanted to be with a woman
So I stood up and tried to grab her
She hid behind a locked door
So I climbed over the wall
An old man saw me fly over
And lit a fire below
You cow! Where'd you come from?
How did you climb over here?
She hit me over and over with a cane
Until my back was sore.
A shepherd song.
Tskhvari Shavshale Mindorze
(scroll down for English translation)
Tskhvari shavshale mindorze
Sadats rom utskho mkharea
Me tviton kedze ts’amovts’ek
K’ek’lutsad mokris karia
Nabadshi shemomepara
Vighats utsnobi kalia
Shemovekhvie vak’otse
Mosk’ovis ghili gavkhseno
Gajavrda shemomit’ia
Ras shvrebi dzaghlis nasheno
Deda kho gamijavrdeba
Am ghame rogor davk’ero
Translation:
I Let the Sheep Scatter Over the Field
I let the sheep scatter over the field
On land that was foreign to me
I, myself, layed on the ridge
In the flirtatious, puffing wind
To the shelter of my nabadi1
There came a stranger woman
I hugged and kissed her
Opening the buttons of Moscow2
She was angry and said,
''What are you doing, you bastard!
My mom will be angry with me!
How am I supposed to sew at night?''
1A shepherd’s long, heavy wool cloak.
2This is a reference to the fact that the ''stranger woman'' in the poem is Russian. There is a connotation in Georgia that Russian women are promiscuous.
A love song.
To hear other versions of this song, visit the pages of Didebai Ensemble and Mandili Ensemble.
Am Ghamit Shentan Ara Var
(scroll down for English translation)
Am ghamit shentan ara var
Chem tvalts’in mkholod kedia
Vegharts k’aravshi shevsulvar
Veghars ts’in gadmikhedia
Mts’qralad shemartul ts’arbivit
Kedis ts’in gadameghoba
Me k’i akedan shenamde
Erti gaprenats meqopa
Kedze mgelivit gadmoval
Kheveb chavqvebi mdinaris
Rom psk’eris mtaze shegasts’ro
Dagdzinebia mghimares
Rom sheni sitbo visuntko
Da mere tundats gangebit
K’vlav me da chemi nabadi
Mtebs ikit gadvik’argebit
Translation:
Tonight I Am Not With You
Tonight I am not with you
There are only ridges in front of me
I can’t enter my tent
Nor can I see the view ahead
Like the shape of an angry eyebrow
The mountains above cut me off
To get from where I am to you
One flight would suffice
I will climb over the ridge like a wolf
From valley to valley, over rivers
I would arrive at the bottom of the mountain
To your freely sleeping eyes
For to breathe your warmth
And if you hold your breath
I, in my shepherd cloak
Will vanish over the ridge
A love song.
Mivqvebi Kuchebs Da Ar Vitsi Ra Minda
(scroll down for English translation)
Mivqvebi kuchebs da ar vitsi ra minda
Ts’vims tu karia me maints ar mtsiva
Pipkebi matsviva pipkebi matsviva
Shens sakhels vpitsavar ar mtsiva ar mtsiva
Gakhsovs qvavilebshi chven orni viqavit
Gakhsovs churchulit rom miqvarkhar mitkhari
Pipkebi matsviva pipkebi matsviva
Shens sakhels vpitsavar ar mtsiva ar mtsiva
Translation:
I wander the paths and I don’t know what I want
It rains and it blows, but yet I am not cold
I am dressed in snowflakes, dressed in snowflakes
I swear on your name I am not cold, I am not cold
Do you recall when it was just the two of us in the flowers?
Do you remember telling me so quietly ''I love you?''
I am dressed in snowflakes, dressed in snowflakes
I swear on your name I am not cold, I am not cold
There is no English translation available for this song. If you are able to provide one, please include it in an email to aurelia@tsutisopeli and we will update the page.
There is no English translation available for this song. If you are able to provide one, please include it in an email to aurelia@tsutisopeli and we will update the page.
K’ldeebi Ukhsovar Droisa
K’ldeebi ukhsovar droisa
Lilisper liloebs iskhamen
Mze dasavletisk’en ichkaris
Mkhedari alvanisa mkhrisak’en
Gahqvebi k’ldis tavze bilik’ebs
Shegkhvdeba iseti adili
Ch’ikasats ver daidgam adgilze
Tu dadgam qiraze gadivli
Ch’ikasats ver daidgam ushishrad
Tu dasdgam qiraze gadivli
Sheni gulistvis kalau
Davlakhe mtata k’ibeni
Tu gach’irdeba arts’ivta
Pekhdapekh gavek’idebi
This song is loosely taken from part of Vazha-Pshavela’s1 ''Bakht’rioni'' – a piece he wrote in 1892.
1Luka Razikashvili (1861-1916) was one of Georgia’s most famous poets and writers. He wrote under the pen name Vazha-Pshavela, which literally means the ''son from Pshavi.'' He was born and raised in the village of Chargali where a museum for him, opened in 1961, exists today.
There is no English translation available for this song. If you are able to provide one, please include it in an email to aurelia@tsutisopeli.com and we will update the page.
Mogesalmebit Kedebo
Mogesalmebit kedebo
Momakvs salami gziani
Chemsamts saplavasamts amk’obden
Tkveni dek’a da ghviani
Chamokhetkila lek’is mta
Qvelgan chamodis ts’qalia
Ik aris chveni binebi
Sadats tushebis tskhvaria
Shen alazano sad mikhval
Shens ch’k’vaze aghar gat’areb
P’ank’isis tavshi chagk’et’av
Mat’anze gadmogat’areb
This is a song gossiping about a farm in a place called Sak'okhe, an area with brutal living conditions, high in the mountains of Mtiuleti.
Liza comes from the Khada Gorge, a neighboring mountain valley which had its own wealthy collective during the Soviet era.
Perma Sak’okhes
(scroll down for English translation)
Kalebma damip’at’izhes
Sak’enk’i damiqaresa
/Ts’in-ts’in k’i k’argi momektsnen
Bolos k’i gamimts’aresa/
Sak’okhes khdeba ambavi
Sautskhooda stvliano
Did vels hqolia mashina
Sakhelad brich’k’a hkviano
Shig ori kali et’eva
K’okht’adts ets’qobiano
Sakhlisk’en chamoemartnen
Gzas samok’leod sch’riano
Gza uktsie shopero
Chkhamebze gadadiano
/Shoprad eg unda gavushvat
Goglas rom edzakhiano/
Translation:
Sak’okhe Farm
The women invited me over
They spread out birdfeed for me
I was well received at the start
But by the end, they were cruel
The story happened in Sak’okhe1
It is considered a stunning place
In this big valley was a car
The car was called a Brich’k’a
Two women fit in the car
They were placed beautifully
As they came towards the house
They took a short cut
''You took the wrong road, driver!''
They went off the side of the road.
''We should have called on Gogla
To be our driver.''
1A high altitude volcanic area in the mountains of Mtiuleti by the source of the Aragvi River.
There is no English translation available for this song. If you are able to provide one, please include it in an email to aurelia@tsutisopeli.com and we will update the page.
There is no English translation available for this song. If you are able to provide one, please include it in an email to aurelia@tsutisopeli.com and we will update the page.
P’at’imarze
P’at’imari var qvelam gaigos
Kuchebshi midis demonst’ratsia
/Zogi sharvalshi zogits k’ost’umshi
Me k’i p’at’imris porma matsvia/
Ati zamtari ati zapkhuli
Sit’qvit advili dasatvlelia
/Da ati ts’lisa ganmavlobashi
Ramdeni k’idev dasatvlelia/
There is no English translation available for this song. If you are able to provide one, please include it in an email to aurelia@tsutisopeli.com and we will update the page.
Badri, Amiran, Usup’i
Badri, Amiran, Usup’i
Oblebi daviqarenit
Devebis dashinebulni
Chabalkhets chaviqarenit
A ik movedit amiran
Gushin rom kari khvioda
Devebsa hkondat ghreoba
Simghera amodioda
Shegvip’at’izhes shevedit
Ghvino tavs gadagvdioda
Dedobilebis namtskhvari
Kada k’etsebshi shkhioda