Mazeppa - Lord Byron
A Sweeping Tale of Love, Punishment, and Endurance
Excerpt from “Mazeppa”
'Twas after dread Pultowa's day,
When fortune left the royal Swede—
Around a slaughtered army lay,
No more to combat and to bleed.
The power and glory of the war,
Faithless as their vain votaries, men,
Had passed to the triumphant Czar,
And Moscow’s walls were safe again—
Until a day more dark and drear,
And wild with conflicts yet to come;
For from the North loud discord’s jar
Would shake creation to its womb,
When Alps and Euxine’s echoes hear
The groans of too long prostrate Poland—
(Here truncated for brevity. The full poem is significantly longer and in the public domain.)
[...]
And I—though lonely now and worn—
Reft of my country, health, and fame—
Shall yet survive, though not reborn,
To read my duty in my shame:
To find that freedom which was flown,
Or, lost, to learn how best to bear
My doom or spare my future groan
By a more blest oblivion there.
[Note: “Mazeppa” is a lengthy narrative poem. This excerpt offers selected passages; for the complete text, please consult a public domain source.]
Lord Byron’s “Mazeppa,” published in 1819, is a dramatic narrative poem revolving around the legendary tale of Ivan Mazepa. According to the story, Mazeppa, as a young page in Poland, engages in a forbidden affair with a nobleman’s wife. When discovered, he is punished by being stripped naked and bound to a wild horse that carries him relentlessly across the steppes. This ordeal becomes the central adventure of the poem.
Byron frames the tale with a conversation between Mazeppa—now an older man—and King Charles XII of Sweden, who has been defeated in the Battle of Poltava (referred to as “dread Pultowa’s day”). Mazeppa recounts his past trials as a way to offer consolation and courage to the king. Through vivid imagery and unflinching depictions of both physical torment and natural splendor, Byron captures the raw endurance and resolute spirit that transforms an ordeal into a defining life journey.
The poem reflects the Romantic fascination with freedom, the power of nature, and the indomitable will of individuals who refuse to succumb to fate. Mazeppa’s forced ride through vast, untamed landscapes underscores themes of exile, survival, and identity in the face of unthinkable adversity. Despite suffering and isolation, the protagonist maintains a keen sense of pride and defiance.
Byron also intertwines political commentary, referencing conflicts that left entire nations grappling with shifting powers. While anchored in a historical context, the poem resonates on a universal level. It underscores the idea that hardship and calamity can ultimately lead one to self-discovery and transformation. Along with Byron’s other works, “Mazeppa” solidified his reputation for crafting heroic and impassioned characters who exemplify Romantic ideals of individual autonomy and grand, often turbulent, emotions. In essence, the poem offers a testament to human resilience and the triumph of personal grit over cruelty and circumstance.
Key points
• Highlights the legendary journey of Ivan Mazepa, punished for a forbidden affair.
• Showcases Romantic themes of endurance, personal freedom, and the power of nature.
• Uses political and historical backdrops, weaving national conflicts into the personal narrative.
• Presents the horse-bound ride as both physical ordeal and route to self-discovery.
• Emphasizes how extreme adversity can forge character and an unbreakable spirit.
