The Destruction of Sennacherib
Encyclopedia
The Destruction of Sennacherib is a poem by Lord Byron
first published in 1815 in his Hebrew Melodies
. It is based on an event described in the Bible (2 Kings 18-19) during the campaign by Assyria
n king Sennacherib
to capture Jerusalem. The rhythm
of the poem has a feel of the beat of a galloping horse's hooves (an anapestic tetrameter
) as the Assyrian rides into battle.
, unsmote by the sword, Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord."
The poem is faithful to the Biblical account, which claims that 185,000 Assyrians died; however Assyrian chronicles
, giving Sennacherib's own version of the events, describe the campaign as a success, claiming that Jerusalem surrendered and offered tribute. The Chronicles do not mention any significant loss of Assyrian life.
defeated a strong MCC
team, including W G Grace, at Lord's
on 27 May 1878, the satirical magazine Punch
celebrated by publishing a parody of the poem including a wry commentary on Grace's contribution:
Mark Twain
has references to this poem throughout his works, from his early newspaper sketches to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
, and it is mentioned often in biographies of him, making it clear that it was important to him.
Ogden Nash
's "Very Like a Whale", a humorous complaint about poetical metaphors, uses this poem for its inspiration.
In the episode "El Secuestro" of the FX animated series Archer
, the character Pam has the second stanza of the poem tattooed on her back.
Terry Pratchett
, in his 'Discworld' novels, makes several references to the poem's well-known opening two lines "The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold / And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold"; much of the humour springing from a misunderstanding of 'cohorts' to mean part of a suit of armour. Characters in the novels occasionally buy Armour Polish advertised "For Gleaming Cohorts".
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron
George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, later George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron Byron, FRS , commonly known simply as Lord Byron, was a British poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement...
first published in 1815 in his Hebrew Melodies
Hebrew Melodies
Hebrew Melodies is both a book of songs with lyrics written by Lord Byron set to Jewish tunes by Isaac Nathan as well as a book of poetry containing Byron's lyrics alone. It was published in April 1815 with musical settings by John Murray; though expensive at a cost of one guinea, over 10,000...
. It is based on an event described in the Bible (2 Kings 18-19) during the campaign by Assyria
Assyria
Assyria was a Semitic Akkadian kingdom, extant as a nation state from the mid–23rd century BC to 608 BC centred on the Upper Tigris river, in northern Mesopotamia , that came to rule regional empires a number of times through history. It was named for its original capital, the ancient city of Assur...
n king Sennacherib
Sennacherib
Sennacherib |Sîn]] has replaced brothers for me"; Aramaic: ) was the son of Sargon II, whom he succeeded on the throne of Assyria .-Rise to power:...
to capture Jerusalem. The rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
of the poem has a feel of the beat of a galloping horse's hooves (an anapestic tetrameter
Anapaest
An anapaest is a metrical foot used in formal poetry. In classical quantitative meters it consists of two short syllables followed by a long one; in accentual stress meters it consists of two unstressed syllables followed by one stressed syllable. It may be seen as a reversed dactyl...
) as the Assyrian rides into battle.
Story
The poem relates the Biblical version of Sennacherib's attempted siege of Jerusalem, and takes place in one night. At sunset the huge Assyrian army were bearing down upon the un-named Jerusalem 'like the wolf on the fold': overnight the Angel of Death 'breathed on the face of the foe'; by morning most of the Assyrian army has died, mysteriously, in their sleep. The poem describes the dead soldiers and their horses then touches, briefly, on the grief of the Assyrian widows before concluding that "The might of the GentileGentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
, unsmote by the sword, Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord."
The poem is faithful to the Biblical account, which claims that 185,000 Assyrians died; however Assyrian chronicles
Babylonian Chronicles
The Babylonian Chronicles are many series of tablets recording major events in Babylonian history. They are thus one of the first steps in the development of ancient historiography...
, giving Sennacherib's own version of the events, describe the campaign as a success, claiming that Jerusalem surrendered and offered tribute. The Chronicles do not mention any significant loss of Assyrian life.
Other Authors
The poem was popular in Victorian England and, when the first Australian cricket team to tour EnglandAustralian cricket team in England and North America in 1878
In 1878, an Australian cricket team made the inaugural first-class tour of England by a representative overseas side. The tour followed one made by an England cricket team to Australia in 1876/77, during which the first Test matches were played....
defeated a strong MCC
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
team, including W G Grace, at Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground
Lord's Cricket Ground is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and Wales Cricket Board , the European Cricket Council and, until August 2005, the...
on 27 May 1878, the satirical magazine Punch
Punch (magazine)
Punch, or the London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of humour and satire established in 1841 by Henry Mayhew and engraver Ebenezer Landells. Historically, it was most influential in the 1840s and 50s, when it helped to coin the term "cartoon" in its modern sense as a humorous illustration...
celebrated by publishing a parody of the poem including a wry commentary on Grace's contribution:
The Australians came down like a wolf on the fold,
The Marylebone cracks for a trifle were bowled;
Our Grace before dinner was very soon done,
And Grace after dinner did not get a run.
Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
has references to this poem throughout his works, from his early newspaper sketches to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. The story is set in the Town of "St...
, and it is mentioned often in biographies of him, making it clear that it was important to him.
Ogden Nash
Ogden Nash
Frederic Ogden Nash was an American poet well known for his light verse. At the time of his death in 1971, the New York Times said his "droll verse with its unconventional rhymes made him the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry".-Early life:Nash was born in Rye, New York...
's "Very Like a Whale", a humorous complaint about poetical metaphors, uses this poem for its inspiration.
In the episode "El Secuestro" of the FX animated series Archer
Archer (TV series)
Archer is an American animated television series created by Adam Reed for the FX network. A preview of the series aired on September 17, 2009. The first season premiered on January 14, 2010. The show carries a TV-MA-LSV rating....
, the character Pam has the second stanza of the poem tattooed on her back.
Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
, in his 'Discworld' novels, makes several references to the poem's well-known opening two lines "The Assyrian came down like the wolf on the fold / And his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold"; much of the humour springing from a misunderstanding of 'cohorts' to mean part of a suit of armour. Characters in the novels occasionally buy Armour Polish advertised "For Gleaming Cohorts".
External links
- englishhistory.net – The Destruction of Sennacherib, first published in 1815.
- http://www.sennacherib.net/poetry.html – The Destruction of Sennacherib, from the site, Sennacherib.net