In Robert Southey’s poem “The Inchcape Rock,” the dying moments of Ralph the Rover are marked by fear and despair. After cutting loose the Inchcape Bell—a marker that warned sailors of the dangerous rock—Ralph sails away, rejoicing in his act of mischief.
 
Later, his ship returns to the same waters during a storm. With no bell to warn them of the submerged rock, the ship strikes it and begins to sink. In his final moments, Ralph realizes the consequences of his reckless deed. As the ship is swallowed by the sea, he hears a dreadful sound, which he imagines to be the devil himself ringing a death knell—a haunting echo of the bell he had silenced.