"The Destruction of Sennacherib '' is a poem by Lord Byron first published in 1815 in his Hebrew Melodies. It is based on an event from the campaign by Assyrian king Sennacherib to capture Jerusalem, as described in the Bible (2 Kings 18 -- 19). The poem is based on the biblical account of the historical Assyrian besieging of Jerusalem in 701 BC. 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.
who wrote the assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold
Lord Byron