 mÃ¡j (archaic czech for the month may; ) is a romantic poem by karel hynek mÃ¡cha in four cantos. it was fiercely criticized when first published, but since then has gained the status of one of the most prominent works of czech literature; in czech, the poem now is memorized by schoolchildren and continuously in print. ==setting== according to the author's epilogue, the poem is a homage to the beauty of spring. it is set in a bucolic landscape, inspired by such features as a lake then called big pond (), and now called lake mÃ¡cha (), after the poet. the poem's action takes place near the town of hirÅ¡berg. castles such as bezdÄz, karlÅ¡tejn, and kÅivoklÃ¡t (mÃ¡cha was an avid walker and knew central bohemia intimately) also influence the setting of the poem.marcela sulak, "introduction," in  ==dramatis personae== as a dramatic poem (in the byronic sense), the poem has a cast of characters: vilÃ©m, a bandit, in love with jarmila; jarmila, a girl in love with vilÃ©m but dishonoured by vilÃ©m's father; and hynek, the narrator. ==plot== a young girl, jarmila, has been seduced by a man who is killed by his own son, vilÃ©m; the latter is a robber known as the "terrible forest lord." on the evening of 1 may, sitting on a hill by a lake, she awaits his coming, but is instead told by a one of vilÃ©m's associates that her lover sits across the lake in a castle, to be executed for the murder. while he waits, he ponders on the beauty of nature and his young life. the next day, he is led to a hill where he is decapitated; his mangled limbs are displayed in a wheel fastened to a pillar, and his head is placed on top of the pillar. seven years later, on 31 december, a traveler named hynek, comes across vilÃ©m's pallid skull and the next day is told the story by an innkeeper. years later, on the evening of 1 may, he returns and compares his own life that the month of may. ==structure== thumb|200px|mÃ¡chovo jezero / macha's lake. the poem consists of four cantos and two 
Czech_poetry