The Death-Fires Danced at Night — Gustave Doré (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner)

A cursed ship on a haunted sea

The ship lies motionless under a veiled moon. Beside her bow, a winged spirit with flaming hair rises from the waves, while in the dark water ghostly bodies writhe among small, dancing flames. Leaning over the rail, the Ancient Mariner watches, powerless. This is the curse he brought upon himself and his crew by shooting the albatross, the bird of good omen. Gustave Doré illustrates here one of the most famous stanzas of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem:

About, about, in reel and rout
The death-fires danced at night;
The water, like a witch's oils,
Burnt green, and blue and white.

Doré and Coleridge, a perfect match

Published in 1798, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a founding text of English Romanticism: a tale of guilt, the supernatural and redemption at sea, which gave the English language the expression "an albatross around one's neck" and still inspires writers and musicians, from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to Iron Maiden. Gustave Doré published his illustrations for the poem in 1876. His wood engravings, all silvery moonlight and deep night, capture perfectly its dreamlike terror.

Why it works so well on a wall

Dark, mysterious and full of movement, this print suits a library, a study, a reading corner or a dark-academia interior, and brings a gothic touch to any nautical-themed decor. A perfect gift for lovers of poetry, the sea and ghost stories. A thin black frame underlines the depth of its blacks.

• Artist: Gustave Doré (1832–1883)
• Work: Illustration for Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Part II
• Date: 1876
• Medium: Wood engraving
• Literary source: Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798)

Discover more of Doré's visionary engravings in our Gustave Doré collection.