Like one that on a lonesome road Doth walk in fear and dread, And having once turned round walks on, And turns no more his head; Because he knows, a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker feels fear and thinks someone is following him.
- In plain terms
- He walked afraid thinking someone was behind him.
- What can you take from it?
- Fear can make you feel watched even when alone.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What haunts you from behind?
- Why do you fear the dark?
Another view
The fear may be internal projection rather than reality.
More from Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The man hath penance done, And penance more will do.
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