On the Esthetics of Georgian Baroque Poetry: Verses Read Forwards and Backwards and “Mukhranuli”

Abstract

The poets, artists, sculptors and musicians of the Baroque pe­riod felt that a "new age" had arrived, and so they clearly distin­gui­shed their art from that of the artists of the previous period and ca­refully sought out new forms of expression. Baroque poetry is cha­racterised by novelty in both content and form. In the Baroque culture, the importance of the recipient, reader, viewer and listener increased; therefore, special attention was paid to such concepts as "interesting", "worthy of attention", "expressive", "entertaining", "amu­sing", "playful" and all these concepts can be unified in a single category of "astonishing", because the main goal of the Baroque ar­tist is to surprise, astonish the reader and listener, and therefore they carefully studied the reac­tions of their viewers and readers in order to affect them more effec­tively with their works.

The desire to impress readers and listeners is, to some extent, asso­ciated with the function of playing. In the 17th century, the concept of play was primarily associated with the Baroque style. One of the primary principles of Baroque art is the aspiration to create astonishing works of art and to strive for that goal. Conse­quently, the Baroque aesthetic was deve­loped with the inten­tion of impressing humans. The criterion for assessing artistic works was taste (gusto). The concept of taste was a key determinant of the sty­listic choices made by authors of the Baroque era, with the aim of striving to achieve astonishment from their readers and listeners.

Georgian literature spanning the 17th and 18th centuries is distin­guished by the introduction of new genres and an abundance of formalistic searches, as well as the mastering of the visual and acoustic capacities of the form. Poets of that period were not satis-fied with the earlier forms of the verses and oriented their talent and capabilities to seeking and establishing of the new forms. New poetic forms have emerged, characterised by their unusual and int­ricate nature. they were intended to astonish the readers and liste­ners and some of them have even became the subject of poetic contests. The aspiration to innovate, desire to impress the readers and listeners delight and amaze them with something new and di­fferent, as characteristic for Georgian authors of that period, is the feature of the European Baroque literature in general. In this article, in the context of Baroque esthetics, we have considered the palin­dromes, i.e. verses to be read forwards and bac­kwards, authored by various poets and “Mukhranuli” by Vakhtang VI.

The palindrome, which can be read from either direction, proved par­ti­cularly appealing to Georgian Baroque poets. The authors of palin­dromes in Georgian literature of the period in question are as follows: Archil II, Jakob Shemokmedeli, Svimon Kopadze, Onana Mdivani, and Vakhtang VI. The interest of Geor­gian authors in this form can be explained by the influence of Baro­­que aesthetics. In this context, the concept of "reflection" and "mirroring" is a particularly important phenomenon in the arts of the Baroque era. The "mirror" and the "shadow" assume a special significance within this context. The concept of reflection, namely that each subject may possess a dual aspect, one external and seemingly distinct, yet reflecting its essential nature, is a widespread theme in Baroque works. Consequently, the motif of the mirror, which extensively utilises the 'principle of play' inhe­rent to the creative arts, emerges as a dominant motif of the Baroque era.

The distinctive quality of the line, which could be read in both a left-to-right and right-to-left direction, proved a significant source of inspiration for Georgian poets. This phenomenon, cha­racterised by a mirror-like sym­met­ry in the repetition of letters and sounds, offered a unique oppor­tunity for creative expression. Identi­fying palindrome words is a challenging task that requires a keen eye and patience to uncover within a given language's vocabulary. These words possess a distinctive quality, namely a "duality," which often goes unnoticed by others until they are pointed out. This dis­co­very can elicit a sense of astonishment among readers, highligh­ting the intriguing nature of such linguistic phenomena. In light of the aforemen­tioned context, this entertaining form of verse appea­led to poets due to its dual meaning and mirroring principle, whe­reby the effect was not merely auditory but also visual, encom­pa­ssing the symmetric reflection of graphe­mes. This made it a multi-sensory experience, appealing to both the eyes and ears. It is note­wor­thy that palindromes enjoyed popularity in Ukraine, Russia, and Poland during the Baroque era, where they were known as "versus cancrinus."

In the context of versification searches pertaining to Vakh­tang VI, it is of particular significance to direct attention to the verse that is known under the title "Mukhranuli". It is of interest for two reasons: firstly, due to its allegoric content, and secondly, due to its form. The verse is composed of 20 syllables and comprises four lines. It exhibits both internal and external rhythm. In the manus­cript, the verse is divided into two columns, enabling the text to be read both horizontally and vertically while maintaining its content. Consequently, the verse allows for two distinct reading methods, although a third variant exists in which the lines of the left and right co­lumns alternate, and the sense is maintained in this case as well. Conse­quently, Vakhtang's 'Mukhranuli' presents the reader with three distinct possibilities for interpreting the verse. Such a demonstration of the author's craftsmanship is likely to elicit a sense of astonishment from the reader. In our view, the sonnet by French poet Étienne Durand, entitled 'Sonnet à lecture multiple', offers a parallel example. The sonnets that could be read in several ways are presented in Russian Baroque literature as well.

The formalist experiments of the Baroque epoch cannot be considered as mere "playthings" devoid of significance. The formal, refined and light nature of these works provides evidence of the poet's considerable achie­vements, as well as indicating an under­stan­ding of the poet's creative power. It is important to recognize that the Baroque movement and style are not the only aspects that define this period; it is also characterized by a distinct approach to thinking. This can be exemplified by the work of Emanuele Tesau­ro, who is known for his alive and quick mind. This concept of a "mind alive and quick" plays a significant role in determining the aesthetic of Georgian Baroque poetry, particularly in terms of its use of surprise and desire to captivate readers and listeners.