Beyond the shadow of the ship, I watched the water-snakes: They moved in tracks of shining white, And when they reared, the elfish light Fell off in hoary flakes.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Water snakes move in shining tracks with light falling off them.
- In plain terms
- Sea snakes glowed white as they moved in the water.
- What can you take from it?
- Nature can appear magical or glowing.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How does the speaker see them?
- What does the light look like?
Another view
The imagery is highly stylized.
More from Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The moving Moon went up the sky, And no where did abide: Softly she was going up, And a star or two beside.
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