Shen Khar Venakhi
Thou Art a Vineyard (Georgian: შენ ხარ ვენახი, romanized: shen khar venakhi) is a medieval Georgian hymn. The text is attributed to King Demetrius I of Georgia (1093–1156). The composer of the music is unknown. Supposedly Demetrius I wrote it during his confinement as a monk in the David Gareja Monastery. The hymn is dedicated to Georgia and the patronage of the Virgin Mary; it is also a prayer of praise to Mary in the Georgian Orthodox Church.
As the lyrics did not mention any saints or gods, this was the only church-song that was permitted to be performed in the anti-religious Soviet Union. There are East Georgian (Kartli-Kakhetian) and West Georgian (Gurian) versions of this chant with very different musical compositions.
Thou Art a Vineyard is usually sung by a choir without instrumental accompaniment and is a classic example of Georgian choral music. The hymn is representative of the late Medieval traditions of the Georgian Renaissance.
Text[edit]
| Georgian text | Transliteration | English translation |
|---|---|---|
|
შენ ხარ ვენახი, ახლად აყვავებული, |
shen khar venakhi, akhlad aq'vavebuli. |
You are a vineyard newly blossomed. |
Popular culture[edit]
It was performed in a Georgian 1969 film, Don't Grieve.
Its rendition can be heard in 'The Poet in the Prince's Court' segment of the Soviet Armenian film The Color of Pomegranates.
This hymn is used as one of Georgia's musical themes in the video-game expansion, Civilization VI: Rise and Fall.[1][2]
References[edit]
- ^ "Civilization VI: Rise and Fall – First Look: Georgia". Archived from the original on 2021-12-18. Retrieved Jul 31, 2019 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Georgia Theme - Industrial (Civilization 6 OST Preview) | Shen Khar Venakhi; Tsaiqvanes Tamar Kali". Archived from the original on 2021-12-18. Retrieved Jul 31, 2019 – via www.youtube.com.