by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824)
The Assyrian came down like the wolf on...
Language: English
Available translation(s): FRE
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. 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 forever grew still! 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 trumpets 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!
About the headline (FAQ)
Note: first published as "The Destruction of Semnacherib"Authorship
- by George Gordon Noel Byron, Lord Byron (1788 - 1824), "The Destruction of Sennacherib", appears in Hebrew Melodies, no. 18, first published 1815 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive)
- by Granville Ransome Bantock, Sir (1868 - 1946), "The Destruction of Sennacherib", published 1938 [TTBB chorus a cappella] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Francis Boott (1813 - 1904), "The Destruction of the Assyrians", published 1888 [voice and piano] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by A. Clifford , "Sennacherib" [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Eliza Davis (flourished 1895), "The Destruction of Sennacherib", published 1867 [high voice and piano] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Stephen Ralph Glover (1812 - 1870), "The Assyrian came down", published c1850 [low voice and piano] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Clarence S. Hill , "Sennacherib", published 1914 [alto or baritone and piano] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by D. Cyril Jenkins (1885 - 1978), "The Assyrian came down", published 1912 [ TTBB chorus and piano ad libitum], partson [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Samuel Ernest Lovatt (1877 - 1954), "Sennacherib", published 1913 [TTBB chorus a cappella], ballad [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Isaac Nathan (1790 - 1864), "The Destruction of Sennacherib", published 1815 [voice and piano], from A Selection of Hebrew Melodies No. I, no. 18 [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Elizabeth Parker , "The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold", published 1908 [low voice and piano] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Alexander Patterson , "Sennacherib", published 1909 [SATB chorus and piano or organ] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Lewys Thomas , "The Destruction of Sennacherib", published 1937 [TTBB chorus a cappella] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Ferris Tozer (1857 - ?), "The Destruction of Sennacherib", published 1921 [TTBB chorus a cappella] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by Bryceson Treharne (1879 - 1948), "The Destruction of Sennacherib", published c1921? [voice and piano] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by S. (Samuel?) Ward-Casey , "Destruction of Sennacherib", published 1936 [ TTBB chorus a cappella], partson [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
- by F. L. Wiseman , "The Destruction of Sennacherib", published 1913 [SATB chorus and organ] [ sung text not yet checked against a primary source]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Franz Theremin (1780 - 1846) , appears in Hebräische Gesänge, first published 1820 FRE FRE RUS RUS ; composed by Johann Karl Gottfried Loewe.
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist FRE FRE RUS RUS ; composed by Hans Huber.
- Go to the text. [Note: the text is not in the database yet.]
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- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Modest Petrovich Musorgsky (1839 - 1881) [an adaptation] FRE FRE GER ; composed by Modest Petrovich Musorgsky.
- Also set in Russian (Русский), a translation by Modest Petrovich Musorgsky (1839 - 1881) [an adaptation] FRE FRE GER ; composed by Modest Petrovich Musorgsky.
Other available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "La destruction de Sennachérib", copyright © 2011, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Alexis Paulin Pâris) , "La destruction de Sennachérib", appears in Mélodies hébraïques, no. 18
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2003-11-15
Line count: 24
Word count: 236