Why is Shota Rustaveli's poetry difficult to translate into English?

Shota Rustaveli’s masterpiece, The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, is widely considered the pinnacle of Georgia’s cultural golden age. Translating this epic into English is notoriously difficult because of the exceptional virtuosity Rustaveli employed in his original composition.1

Specifically, the poem’s intricate combination of rhyme, rhythm, and vivid imagery is challenging to replicate in another language. Rustaveli’s style is characterized by an idiosyncratic blend of philosophical depth and emotional intensity, featuring:1

• Inventive metaphors and wildly imaginative plotting.1
• Paradoxical aphorisms that serve as a compendium of Georgian wisdom.1
• Sophisticated structure that balances over-the-top passion with sober philosophical reflection.1

While the work has been translated into English multiple times in both verse and prose, these linguistic and stylistic complexities make it difficult to capture the full essence of the original Georgian text.1