LITERATURE

Kutaisi, At The Sea Shore

Aka Morchiladze

Ketevan Blue Zazo Charkhalashvili (Translation)

How can I write about Kutaisi with such kind of writers. I love Kutaisi so much that I even haven’t lived there at all. I haven’t spent there more than night at one time. I can’t still find skills for city geography. It means that if I get there alone I can’t even survive till exit. I know entrance, Kvakhchiri will remain on the right side. I know even an old entrance from Uritski street. Does it exist now? I don’t know this unfortunately. What kind of meaning it has though. You are not going to Kutaisi to remember its geography. Never. You are going to Kutaisi and that’s over.
I really don’t know how to write about Kutaisi. Colors are running in my head, that’s all. These are not last twenty years colors. Were colors in the last twenties? May be were, but somehow they didn’t hit me. In 1918, in several days Kutaisi entirely emptied. Everyone who was creating profile of Kutaisi decided to come to Tbilisi. Poets, painters, artists, teachers, engineers decided this way. Nearly I guess because that Georgia was independent and Tbilisi was perceived as a certain center. This is unnoticed story in our history. At the same time strange tale. But the fact is that’s happened story. Big mistake, as well, because it can never be mended.
Teachers of legendary gymnasium became professors in Tbilisi university. Famous Kutaisian doctors arranged in Tbilisi hospitals. Kutaisian poets got set in Tbilisi café “Qimerioni”, which may be was not more than uqimerioni. Uqimerioni slope…. may be remember.
The reason of this fact was that one city weakened and another grew more. Not only these ones: legendary Akhaltsikhean family names, who came to Kutaisi ehee when, even they directed to Tbilisi.
What Tbilisi is so important. What for it happened. What for needed this movement. So unwaited. I don’t even remember where I read out this story. There was only one sentence, that it happened this way. I guess it wasn’t even Georgian text. It was English. English for sure.
In our books there used to were no this kind of stories.
It was meant sheer hart attack.
I didn’t even want to remember about this dramatic story.
Finally Kutaisi was worthy of being as University city.
Old Dimitry Kipiani, who was deprived all the positions, finally was chosen as marshal of Imeretian nobility. They said, was amazed, about to how Kutaisians met him. They put me in carriage and brought through whole town with glory.
Dimitry was Kartlelian Kipiani, Sumbataant aznauri.
He drunk life so that no one smiles at him unnecessarily.
Kutaisian guitar. Where went Kutaisian Guitar? I guess it moved into Tbilisian trios.
But to say truth I didn’t want to remember about it too.
Samson Firckhalava writes, when I moved to Tbilisi I spoiled as a man, I couldn’t get used to this variety to this diversity, they said. I couldn’t even eat bread, it was so different from Kutaisian one, I got mine before I get used to it.
And what I remember about childhood, that early in the morning in Kutaisi, on Rustaveli street, in tiny house my aunt cuts hot Khachapuri and in old fashioned tea cup puts lots of cherry jam. What kind of is this Kutaisi, I used to think. I didn’t know, I knew only this house.
Mines were lived in Kutaisi before the war, quite big house they did have on Gora, they said. Then war mingled in life. My grandy moved.
This is long story and not interesting for stranger.
In fact I wanted to say absolutely different thing.
See, I’m toting around and cant find.
I’m cropping several parts and I guess finally I can get it.
What can I write about Kutaisi.
I’ve bin there from my childhood.
I have sit in train stuck while big snow in Kutaisian railway, I’ve been in Sataflia duqani, I’ve guessed even about Gelati story, and I think the fig tree that was stuck in Bagrati arch I remember it too. Birds were quivering in. It was fig, I guess. I couldn’t recognize at that time, I was little. But it was amazing. There is no that tree there any more, they said. Bagrati should be rebuilt, they even say this. Those branches grew though arch and in flattering bird is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. Stairway amazing too. Do you remember fight on these stairs in “Sabudarian Lad”? Bad Ushangi and good Gogita have quarrel. Kutaisi is pictures. Pictures need life. Where is life?
What can I say about Kutaisi. Torns: restaurant on Kvashava. Old Gogisvanidzes. David Agmashenebeli. Motsameta. Mamo gagi with his healing herbs. Everyone was calling him Gagi in spite of.
Twix kababs of Bikentia. Sisters of Niko Nikoladze. Akaki on balcony. Casks. Kutaisian thieves. Kutaisian bufetchiks. Tua. Cuddly. How do I know. Only pictures, that I used to see from my childhood, or not see but heard about and imagined.
What industrial he was.
Galaqtion. Kutaisian gymnasium. Boys of Blue Horns. Shot Baron Bibineishvili’s remembrances about Kutaisi. Amazing remembrances by the way. Kutaisian prison. Not existing by this time. Stalin’s cell. Gijua’s jump. Goatbeard Gogia. Poetry. Kutaisian theatre. Those old Chichikia and Bichikia. Theirs dog. Biscuitia. Piani market. Green market. Kvachi Kvachantiradze, born between Samtredia and Xoni and made gymnasts in Kutaisi.
I always used to like names of Kutaisi districts. Tbilisi ones where somehow sat and dark. Mtsvanekvavila. I haven’t heard better name for cemetery. Sound this way. Samson Tofuria. Samson Topuria’s legendary bust. Where is it? Have you seen Samson Topuria photo? Docter, who had worked in Odessa as an loader. Man with different appearance. Akakis survivor several times. Doctor also, Ivane Gomarteli. Socialist, I guess. Was writing without end. Appearance, the best bride. Rioni tsvera. Rioni stones. Communists through Rioni from Kutaisi. Cropped its waters. Stones are left only. White. Kutaisi bridges.. . Is it possible everything to be so famous? So certain? Bridge of chain. Before I saw it in childhood I used to imagine it tremendous. Than we crossed it. It’s a little bridge. Unrepeatable in site of this. Nothing and everything. How runs on Konstantine Dadeshkeliani with hold revolver who just killed Governor. Ampreduso meduso. Picasso boy. Lado Meskhishvili with strained voice in role of Franz Moore, who really hung himself. Pipinia Mikeladze jumped on the scene and cut rope with sword. Voice has left strained. Kutaisian voice. Sergia Eristavi. I knew you Sergia, kneeew. If Rioni takes me and if I scream that I know you, this is the story of Georgia, he used to say. Sergia Eristavi. Kutaisian joke. Today, I guess little big artificial, based on Sergia and others classic. On Otar Mamforias jokes also, of course.
I have seen Kuaisian book-keepers, with black ties, in stockinet suits, in every outer pocket with three pan, hats. In garden. I was at time to notice it. I remember edge of garden too. They used to write about him in lupenian stile jokes.
Boulevard. Gulvardi. This is exactly example of how to rearrange word. Daniela uria. Kutaisian Jews. Kutaisian Russoba and Pollishoba. Boxer Bocholia. Not real star, but show and something. Old Kutaisian ‘businesspeople’. Once in childhood man remembered in the street. That man who is he, do you know? He is Iobidze, who made one thousand men wedding to his child and who was caught. Caughts. Pierre, Pierre. I work in police and if I beat doli in weddings… it’s Kutaisi, you must beat. My friend Nodari. Tite Vachadze. Torpedo. Kutaisi Torpedo. With all its stories. Iuza Losaberidze goal in Kiev net, with accompany of whispering wind. War on Kutaisi stadium, death. People uprising. Dead boy. Badri Parulava, Durmishkhan Qviria, legend Jemal Kherkhadze. Good when you have everything yours, I don’t know strangers belonging.
What can I say about Kutaisi not said and mentioned in heart? Oh yes, it was great in May. It knows winds, terrible winds. Go. Come white bridge… Ogaskuura, Safichkhia… Shaliko Khvingiadze.Gogiadze in fact. Meetings with Hitler. Dateshidze hill. Aguli Eristavi, cemeteries Michelangelo. Personages and real figure all together. Kutaisian familynames. Mikedadze-Mikeltadze. In which town will name Shedan in our times. Shedan Chiladze, great drinker of 17th century. And they name. Kolia Kvariani. Kolia Kvariani! Giant in American movies. Lost there. Bid and bald-headed Kolia Kvariani. Giant dead in fight with black criminals. Classic till today, picture of wresting, check youtube: Gene Stanley vs Kolia Kvariani. Simon Kvariani… historical romance.... My fathers remembrance: I got from train, walked through the station, it’s morning, from glass hand shaking Bicholia and Gendrimvich… with vodka bottles and beer cups in front. You have to join, one bottle we’ve already drunk, they said to me. Ok try and chase. Add perashki, perashki.
Rioni beard. Have you seen, on built on sticks? These two little chicken, let them in Blackberry arrows ... greens , Kutaisimtsvanilobis era ... I think , something I said and something narrated, there not lived mans promise, otherwise I have what should narrated of Kutaisi. I am who I am this field? I saiy, what to say I wanted to…. a little bit anyway. Home is not said .
Big Kutaisi literature. Bigger the big. Personally for me absolutely crucial and unique for our contemporary writing. If not this ... do not know what could be, I used to can’t express my ideas straightly philologically… so empty , so changed, heartless any more, but managed and so much to do. If you ask me this is nothing in comparison…
In my mind Kutaisi, as system started from Rezo Tcheichvili story, where Tskaltubos archive working writer's life was described and was narrative about boxer Bachias death in unhappy accident.
Perhaps Bachia in my mind was immediately connectted with already mantioned bocholia and perhaps even understood, this one and the same man . What I have say about Kutaisi. Maybe even I mention wrong way once heard names.
But remember the rain in that the story and the old Kutaisi “business people” in restaurant .
Do not know why, but this short story left a completely unique impression on me. I was seeing quite clearly the people toting around. May be because, the things and some people I had already seen in Kutaisi. I do not know. But it is was this way and still is true.
Then I read his "music in wind". With my learning experience, this is the most important Georgian book for last hundred years. For me, again and again, I don’t know other people. The tone of this book completely alien for ours. War and postwar Kutaisi. Corn , grandfather, Lekian boy, porpili , unfinished house. Boy, who remembers everything. Such Kutaisi was ruling me long long time. Not like what eye used to catch. If I used to be there used to jump in this book for sure and compare. This kind of country Georgia is. Doing this kind of thing silently, like it’s rule. Used to happen like this.
I think, I shouldn’t get involved in this talk. Won’t be able to finish. Or ruthlessly have to crop. My Kutaisian books, of course, will remain with me.
Once Kote Jandieri took me to Rezo Gabriadze. Were sitting and talking. What I had to talk about, were asking and answering. Was sitting and talking quietly about some things, persuading my daughter to drink lemonade and shortly shortly used to say: good girl if you used to get threes from teachers. His mobile was cocking in high notes, he himself was smoking very thin cigarettes, looking down at ash-tray and was narrating quietly about to how he came from Kutaisi to Tbilisi, low and thin; about how he used to go to library, where used to busybody boys stand on Rustaveli Avenue and all this stuff he was telling not with romanticism and scent on Lagidze waters like his generation of Tbiliselians, but as about past pain. This was not the pain about gone romanticism. The only other pain was. I wanted him to narrate about Kutaisi. Should I begin survey. In that narration he only once mentioned Kutaisi and in the way the haven’t. He said: came here as a child, hadn’t seen nothing but love.
Was the reason asking about Kutaisi?
Man said: I arrived from love…

I somehow remembered it…
Don’t tell me to narrate what Rezo Gabriadze's Kutaisi is and what meaning did his Kutaisi had for us during last 40 years.
I guess somehow his Kutaisi even saved us, but note human beings don’t live thinking about such kind of things. Eheeee where you can end…
And me, what should to say about Kutaisi.
This was the Mediterranean Sea town, somehow issued the Mediterranean Sea from far away. But I don’t know why.

Perhaps this this urbans drama.
We have won, Feola...
I know it should had been hard.
And Mitropane Laghidze moved his waters from there to Tbilisi too.