The Prisoner of the Caucasus

"The Prisoner of the Caucasus" is the first of Pushkin's series of southern Byronic poems. The plot is based on the romantic topos of the passionate love of a disappointed, rebellious hero (a captured Russian officer) for "children of nature" who have not been spoiled by civilization (they are represented by a beautiful Circassian woman). This lyrical theme is presented against an epic background:...