Christabel (poem)

Lord Byron recited a passage from the poem "Christabel" at Villa Diodati near Lake Geneva in June 1816 to Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, Claire Clairmont and John Polidori shortly before the arrival of the severely injured Eighth Doctor. (AUDIO: Mary's Story)

"...and full in view,

Behold! her bosom and half her side,

Hideous, deformed, and pale of hue,&mdash;

A sight to dream of, not to tell!

And she is to sleep by Christabel!"

- Lord Byron quoting "Christabel"

Behind the scenes
"Christabel" was a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and it was not named in the audio story. The recital of an excerpt from Christabel by Byron at Villa Diodati to his friends in June 1816, complete with the transcript of these lines, is described in John Polidori's diary "The Diary of Dr John William Polidori" published in 1816.