George Gordon Byron Byron
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
"Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" by Lord Byron is a long narrative poem published between 1812 and 1818. It follows a young man disillusioned with a life of pleasure as he travels through Europe seeking distraction in foreign lands. From Spain and Portugal to Greece, the battlefield of Waterloo, and Italy, Harold encounters natural beauty and historic sites while falling into melancholic reverie. The poem became wildly popular, establishing the archetype of the wandering Byronic hero and powerfully influencing European Romanticism across literature, music, and painting.