The caricature, along with the accompanying poem, is a tribute to a prominent Georgian poet, Nikoloz Baratashvili, and his famous verse, Merani ('Pegasus') and emphasizes the similarities between the poet’s and Georgia’s fates.

Prince Nikoloz Baratashvili (1817-1845), also referred to as the 'Georgian Byron,' was perhaps the most important Georgian romantic poet. Baratashvili was unable to attend university do to a lack of money, and unable to enter military service because of an injury. As a result, he became a clerk in the city of Ganja in modern-day Azerbaijan, where he died of malaria at the young age of 27. Baratashvili's poetry - forty short lyrics and one extended poem - was unpublished in his lifetime, and only discovered after his death.

It runs; it flies; it bears me on; it heeds no trail nor spoor;
A raven black behind me croaks with ominous eyes of doom...

Through Baratashvili’s lines, the author of the article tries to express his feelings while edging away from the imposed censorship. The pegasus is identified with the Georgian spirit, while the raven, in this particular case, represents the Russian Empire.

Source: National Parliamentary Library of Georgia