The Kraken Wakes

The Kraken Wakes
by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Below the thunders of the upper deep,
Far far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth: faintest sunlights flee
About his shadowy sides: above him swell
Huge sponges of millennial growth and height;
And far away into the sickly light,
From many a wondrous grot and secret cell
Unnumbered and enormous polypi
Winnow with giant arms the slumbering green.
There hath he lain for ages and will lie
Battening upon huge seaworms in his sleep,
Until the latter fire shall heat the deep;
Then once by men and angels to be seen,
In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.

I found the book by John Wyndham. I'm enthralled, but also just a little freaked out. Like with the cthulu stories, it digs so deep into the subconscious ... primal fears. Astounding story though, and the common sense attitudes of 50 years ago are a breath of fresh air.

As an aside, i discovered that my most famous ancestor was good friends with Lord Tennyson. A very strange affair, since my ancestor was a hymn writer.