Another the Mother does berate And damn his own unhappy fate: "'Twere best not to have sampled life, Than to live in the midst of all this strife. From all sides on us they turn With fire and sword they ruin, burn." All are wanting in good will. No proper civility can Thou instil. "Mouzhik" is the name they have applied, While bringing subjection, like a tide. Why didst Thou not teach Thy sons to obey? Why from Thy side did Thou let them stray? 'Twould have been best if in unity We had tried to reckon with adversity. Alone I am bound to fail, The most I can do is rail: "Hey! Gentlemen, Generals, pray Why have you fallen asleep this way? And you, Sir Colonels, whose hands are clean Of all politics, no matter the sheen, Will you not clasp hands and bring An end to the bitter suffering? Our Mother has so long endured, and lo, Now hurl it down upon the foe. Recruit the torch to do your labor Along with the keenest saber. Stand by your faith to the bitter end, Your liberty, too, you must defend. And immortalize in glory bright That with our sword we protect our right!" Cultural legacy The historical events of Mazepa's life have inspired many literary and musical works: Lord Byron – Mazeppa, poem (1818) Alexander Pushkin – Poltava, poem (1828–1829) Victor Hugo – Mazeppa, poem (1829) Juliusz Słowacki – Mazeppa, drama (1840) Franz Liszt – Mazeppa, symphonic poem (1851); Transcendental Étude No. 4. Marie Grandval – Mazeppa, opera (1892) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Mazeppa, opera (1881–1883) Michael William Balfe – The Page, cantata (1861) Taras Shevchenko Kondraty Ryleyev A Ukrainian-language film by Yuri Ilyenko, loosely based on historical facts and called Молитва за гетьмана Мазепу (Molytva za hetmana Mazepu), was released in 2002. The Italian composer Carlo Pedrotti wrote a tragic opera titled Mazeppa in 1861, with libretto by Achille de Lauzieres. In 2009 the President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, instituted the Cross of Ivan Mazepa as an award for cultural achievement and service. In 2022, Volodymyr Zelenskyy named a Ukrainian Navy Ada-class corvette after him. See also Ivan Mazepa's Hetman's Banner List of Ukrainian rulers Mazepa family References Bibliography Tatiana Tairova-Yakovleva. Ivan Mazepa and the Russian Empire. McGill-Queens University Press. 2020. ISBN 978-0-2280-0174-4 Hrushevsky, M. Illustrated history of Ukraine. "BAO". Donetsk, 2003. Orest Subtelny, The Mazepists: Ukrainian