Mazeppa is a narrative poem written by the English romantic poet Lord Byron in 1819. It is based on
Mazeppa is a narrative poem written by the English romantic poet Lord Byron in 1819. It is based on a popular legend about the life of Ivan Mazepa (1639–1709), a Ukrainian gentleman. According to the poem, the young Mazeppa has a love affair with a Countess Theresa while serving as a page at the Court of King John II Casimir Vasa. Countess Theresa was married to a much older Count. On discovering the affair, the Count punishes Mazeppa by tying him naked to a wild horse and setting the horse loose. The bulk of the poem describes the traumatic journey of the hero strapped to the horse. The poem has been praised for its “vigor of style and its sharp realization of the feelings of suffering and endurance”. (wikipédia)Le Supplice de Mazeppa par Louis BoulangerMazeppa Surrounded by Horses by John Frederick Herring, c1833Mazeppa aux Loups par Horace Vernet, 1826Mezeppa by John MartinMazeppa par Jean Louis Théodore Géricault, c1823Cossack girl at Mazeppa ’s body par Théodore Chassériau, 1851 -- source link
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