432 THE INHABITANTS OF THE SEA. 
wondrous ballad of “The ancient Mariner” we find a warmer 
description : 
“ Beyond the shadow of the ship 
I watch’d the water-snakes : 
They moved in tracks of shining white, 
And, when they rear’d, the elfish hght 
Fell off in hoary flakes. 
“Within the shadow of the ship 
I watch’d their rich attire — 
Blue, glossy green, and velvet black: 
They coiled and swam, and every track 
Was a flash of golden fire.” 
These indeed are lines whose brilliancy emulates the splendour 
of the phenomenon they depict, but even they are hardly more 
beautiful than Crabbe’s admirable description : 
“ And now your view upon the ocean turn, 
And there the splendour of the waves discern ; 
Cast but a stone, or strike them with an oar, 
And you shall flames within the deep explore ; 
Or scoop the stream phosphoric as you stand, 
And the cold flames shall flash along your hand ; 
When, lost in wonder, you shall walk and gaze 
On weeds that sparkle, and on waves that blaze.” 
Or than the graphic numbers of Sir Walter Scott : 
“‘ Awak’d before the rushing prow, 
The mimic fires of ocean glow, 
Those lightnings of the wave ; ad 
Wild sparkles crest the broken tides, 
And flashing round, the vessel's sides 
With elfish lustre lave; 
While, far behind, their livid light 
To the dark billows of the night 
A blooming splendour gave.” 
