The destruction of sennacherib poem. The Destruction of Sennacherib Poem Summary and Analysis 2023-01-03
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The Destruction of Sennacherib is a poem written by Lord Byron in 1815. It is a dramatic monologue in which the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, speaks about his campaign against the kingdom of Judah.
In the poem, Sennacherib boasts about his military successes and the devastation he has brought upon the Jews. He describes how he has destroyed their cities and temples, and how he has enslaved and slaughtered their people. Sennacherib sees himself as a mighty conqueror, bringing the civilization of the Assyrians to the "barbarous" Jews.
However, the poem takes a turn when Sennacherib begins to describe a strange and ominous dream he had. In his dream, an angel appears to him and tells him that his army will be destroyed by the hand of God. Sennacherib is shaken by this dream and wonders if it is a sign that he has gone too far in his conquests.
The poem ends with Sennacherib reflecting on the uncertain fate that awaits him and his army. Despite his confidence in his own military might, he wonders if his dream was a warning of his own impending doom.
The Destruction of Sennacherib is a powerful and thought-provoking poem that explores themes of imperialism, violence, and the role of divine intervention in human affairs. It is a poignant reminder of the fragile nature of human power and the ultimate limitations of human ambition. So, the destruction of Sennacherib poem is a great work of literature that has stood the test of time and continues to captivate readers to this day.
The Destruction Of Sennacherib by George Gordon Byron
For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed; And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still! Context of 'The Destruction of Sennacherib' Lord Byron was one of the leading poets from the Romantic movement Byron was one of the leading poets of a group known as the Romantics. The regular rhythm of the poem is further emphasised by the fact that each line is end stopped and that about half of the lines start with the word 'and'. The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green, That host with their banners at sunset were seen: Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown, That host on the morrow lay withered and strown. The event is taken from the description in the Bible 2 Kings 18-19. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride; And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf And there lay the rider distorted and pale With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail: And the tents were all silent, the banners alone The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal ; And the might of the Gentile , unsmote by the sword Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord! And there lay the rider distorted and pale, With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail: And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, The lances unlifted, the trumpets unblown.
The Destruction of Sennacherib Poem Summary and Analysis
In the descriptions of the Assyrian army both alive and dead they are compared to elements of nature such as forest leaves or the surf of the waves. With Sennacherib being a figure of such alternate personalities, it is easy to see why Analysis of The Destruction of Sennacherib The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. The speaker sets out events in chronological order. The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold , And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. And it came to pass that night, that the Angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred four-score and five thousands: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses".
Now then, this particular Assyrian, the one whose cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold, Just what does the poet mean when he says he came down like a wolf on the fold? It is not terribly long, it does not hurt. In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. . The Destruction Of Sennacherib The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold, And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold; And the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea, When the blue wave rolls nightly on deep Galilee. Form, structure and language Form The Destruction of Sennacherib is written in quatrains using a very distinctive rhythm.
He seems impressed by the might and splendour of the Assyrian army when describing their appearance in the first six lines. It was first published in 1815 in his "Hebrew Melodies". And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide, But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride; And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf. Much use is made of similes particularly in the early part of the poem eg 'the sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea'. . And there lay the rider distorted and pale, With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail: And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown. According to the Bible record in מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה "smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand" i.
The Destruction of Sennacherib by Lord Byron Analysis & Poem
Retrieved 29 April 2022. In literary terms it is a device known as More About King Sennacherib The siege of Jerusalem is historically known to have happened somewhere around 701BC, though the result was that Jerusalem paid tribute to Sennacherib, and Hezekiah was allowed to remain as vassal of the country. Just like Sennacherib and the Assyrians in the poem, Napoleon and the French had carved out a huge empire and nothing seemed capable of stopping them. For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he pass'd, And the eyes of the sleepers wax'd deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still! This poem is based on the Assyrian King Sennacherib's attemptto capture Jerusalem. .
. This particular rhythm is often used in comic and light verse, so the fact Byron chose it for a poem about war and death is striking. Whatever you impose on me I will bear. But, as is recorded in the Second Book of Kings, the Lord determined to "defend this city, to save it. Read the poem here. And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord. No, no, Lord Byron, before I'll believe that this Assyrian was actually like a wolf I must have some kind of proof; Did he run on all fours and did he have a hairy tail and a big red mouth and big white teeth and did he say Woof Woof?.
In heaven and earth more than is dreamed of in our philosophy there are great many things. Retrieved 3 June 2013. It is written in anapestic tetrameter as an attempt to capture the beat of a galloping horse as the King rides into battle. And there lay the rider distorted and pale, With the dew on his brow, and the rust on his mail: And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown. The wars against Napoleon had been going on for sixteen years and were quickly reaching a climax.
The story is found in the Old Testement, though it is an episode that is probably unfamiliar to most people. The following is an extract from In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them. Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green That host with their banners at sunset were seen: Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown That host on the morrow lay withered and strown For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed; And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still! Thousands of years ago, King Hezekiah reigned of Judah, Sennacherib, King of Assyria, made war upon the Jews, with intent to capture Jerusalem. Structure The poem comprises six four-lined stanzas with a distinctive rhythm broadly of There is a regular rhyme scheme of Language and Imagery The most striking aspect of the poem is the vivid use of descriptive language. One minute, they are alive, they breathe, they exist.
Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green, That host with their banners at sunset were seen: Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown, That host on the morrow lay withered and strown. By the next, they are dead, growing cold and chilly on the ground. And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide, But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride; And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf. It is estimated that the war resulted in approximately 3. This was a time when the subject of war was of great concern throughout Europe. The quarterly journal of The Wodehouse Society.
. Like the leaves of the forest when Summer is green, That host with their banners at sunset were seen: Like the leaves of the forest when Autumn hath blown, That host on the morrow lay withered and strown. And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide, But through it there roll'd not the breath of his pride: And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf. And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, And the idols are broke in the temple of Baal; And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord! The Destruction of Sennacherib by Lord Byron… Poetry Foundation agenda angle-down angle-left angleRight arrow-down arrowRight bars calendar caret-down cart children highlight learningResources list mapMarker openBook p1 pin poetry-magazine print quoteLeft quoteRight slideshow tagAudio tagVideo teens trash-o. Structure The poem has six stanzas. None of the soldiers fought back. This is where the power of the poem lies for many readers — the contradiction of the form and content can be seen as echoing the contrast between the might of a great army and the tragedy of war.
