The Sea of Blood
What I beheld was indescribable; body by terror was dissundered from soul.
What met my eyes? A sea of blood I viewed tempest torn outwardly and inwardly;
the air swarmed with snakes, as with sharks the sea, their hoods black as night, their pinions quicksilver;
billows roaring and rending like panthers so that the sharks in terror of them lay dead on the shore.
The sea gave the shore not one moment’s respite; every instant mountain blocks fell crashing in blood.
Bloody wave fought with wave of blood, whilst in their midst a skiff tossed up and down;
in that skiff were two men pale of cheek, pale of cheek, naked, with hair dishevelled.