The Lay of the Host of Igor

Original limited edition Etching (C3) / aquatint (C5) on paper. Hand-printed and signed by the artist. Plate size: 12x13.5 cm. Paper size (app.): 30x21 cm

The Tale of Igors Campaign (Russian: Slovo o polku Igoreve) is an anonymous epic poem written in the Old East Slavic language. The title is occasionally translated as The Song of Igors Campaign, The Lay of Igors Campaign, The Lay of the Host of Igor, and The Lay of the Warfare Waged by Igor.

The poem gives an account of a failed raid of Igor Svyatoslavich (d. 1202) against the Polovtsians of the Don River region. While some have disputed the authenticity of the poem, the current scholarly consensus is that the poem is authentic and dates to the medieval period (late 12th century).

The Tale of Igors Campaign was adapted by Alexander Borodin as an opera and became one of the great classics of Russian theatre. Entitled Prince Igor, it was first performed in 1890.