Directly translated from its original language, the title of text is literally one with the skin of a tiger; this Medieval epic poem was penned by Georgia's national poet Shota Rustaveli in the twelfth century. It is divided into Rustavelian Quatrains, which means that every line of the poem or writing has the same repetitious sound at the end. It is also known as a mono-rhyme. Each quatrain has four lines of sixteen syllables each which means that the author needs to have the same kind of focus on the actual make up of a word and not just its meaning in a similar way to a haiku poet.
The poem takes place in broad locations, India and Arabia, colorful lands far away from the eastern European Georgian nation. Both lands allegorize the golden age of Georgia and the rule of Queen Tamar. There are two protagonists in the poem, who set out together to find love. The poem is widely regarded to be the meeting point for Georgian philosophy, art and thought. Rustaveli composed the poem in the middle of this golden age, when everything in Georgia was thriving and at its peak. Even the natural world seemed positively affected by Queen Tamar and her rule. Rustaveli was personally acquainted with the beautiful monarch, and some believe that he was also the crown treasurer.
Rustaveli is considered to be one of Georgia's greatest ever literary influences and this poem is the national poet of Georgia even today. Legend has it that he was educated in a monastery and that he retired to the same monastery after retiring from his position in the treasury.
