Christabel (poem)

"Christabel" was a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Lord Byron recited the following passage from it 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!

Behind the Scenes
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.