The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-04-27
The GREATEST
HORSE POEM
In English Language Discussed
By Gen. 1. Il. Sherwood.
LORD BYRON's .'MAzEPPA." :"
This Poem, Like the Most of Byron's Was
Taken From Life and the Name Is
Not Even Fictitious An In
teresting Article.


Not Even Fictitious An In
tereeting Article.
In a recent issue of the American
Sportsman, an admirable publication
whose only fault is the exclusiveness
, of It's field. circumscribing its splendid
editor to q discussion of mans best
friend is this discussed poetry and the
horse in manner worthy only of Cen
eral I. r. Sherwood, who says:
4 If we are allowed an opinion on the
/ greatest horse poem in the English Ian
guage, 1t would be Lord Byron's "Maz-
/, eppa." Probably "Sheridan's Ride"
, from Winchester to Cedar Creek bat
tlefield, twenty miles away, is the most
thrilling horse poem of our great civil
war. IL not the greatest written by an
American. Next to Mazeppa comes i'm
mortal "Marmion' by Sir Walter
! Scott. We quote couplet from Canto
". where the great poet puts into Lady
Heron's sweet mouth the story Of Young
Lochinvar. This Is one of the most
thrilling, musical gems in our language,
although It is the song of love and not
Of war; You remember that Young
Lochinvar stole a bride that was about
to wed "a laggard in love and a bastard
in war" He caught her on the home
stretch" as it were. and throwing her
astride his prancing thoroughbred, he
got away with everything. The horse
Is the main factor Of the romantic
escapade.
zone touch to her hand, one word in
her ear.
When they reached the hall door and
the charger stood near:
So light to the croupe the fair lady he
swung;
So light to the saddle before her he
, sprung!
She is won! we are gone, over bank,
bush and scaur;
They'll have fleet steeds that follow,
quoth young Lochinvar.
But for dramatic power the follow
ing couplet from Mazeppa, depicting
the instant when Mazeppa, stripped
naked. was lashed upon the back of a
wild horse, has never been excelled:
Bring forth the horse: the horse was
brought;
In truth he was a noble steed;
A Tartar of the Ukraine breed,
Who looked as though the speed OF
I thought
a Was in his limbs, but he was wild,
Wild as the wild deer and untaught,
. With spur and bride Undecided
|, Twas but day he had been caught;
4 And snorting with erected name;
4 And struggling fiercely, but in vain,
In the full foam Of wrath and dread,
T To me the desert born was led"
The admirers of Lord Byron's Mazep
pa generally conceive the poem to have
been born in the brain of the great poet
but this Is a mistake. Like most o.
Lord Byron's dramatic poems, 1t wa.
from real life, and enacted in the Ukra
ine, 100 years before Lord Byron wrot,
n his immortal poem.
The name is not even fictitious. Tha
part of Russia bordering on Poland II
called the Ukraine, and 1t was in th'
Ukraine that the wild horse in Lore
I Byron's greatest horse poem carried
h. Mazeppa, who was a Don Cossack
Mazeppa was born in 1645. of a nobl
Polish family. For an insult offere'
It the wife Of another Polish nobleman
\ he was condemned to be bound naked
r upon a wild horse, with his head t
9 the horses tail, and left to his fate. Tn
/, horse carried him to the wild region
:. Of the Ukraine where almost dead h
was rescued by the Cossacks, and sool
c became their Hetman or chief. Late
e he won the confidence Of Peter tn
Great, and was crowned by him "Princ
Of Ukraine" Hence the following bril-
liant couplet, near the close of Lor
Byron's wondrous poem, is historically
correct. This occurs after the will
horse had run to his death:
e The sun was sinking-still lay
Lashed to the still and stiffenin
steed:
thought to mingle there our clay;
And my dim eyes Of death hath need
No hope arose Of being freed
% I cast my last looks up the sky,
And there between me and the sun
- I saw the expecting raven fly,
- Who scarce would wait till both shoul
~ die
Ere his repast begun!
- They found me senseless on the plair
y They bore me to the nearest hut,
ie They brought me into life again
:, Me, one day DER their realm to reign
~ Thus the vane fool who strove to glu
His rage, refining on my pain;
= Sent me forth to the wilderness,
10 Bound, naked, bleeding and alone;
=. To pass the desert to a throne!"
In all the dramatic poems of all his
tory Of human or horse, was there eve
% such superb climax as this?
y, Mazeppa had wonderful career afte
~ this, but he was always true to tn
ICossa cLs When their freedom wa