For famous England stood With his brave brother; Warwick in blood did wade; Suffolk his axe did ply; Upon St. Crispin's Day SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE. 1772-1834. THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER. PART I. It is an ancient Mariner, And he stoppeth one of three; By thy long grey beard and glittering eye, Now wherefore stopp'st thou me ? "The bridegroom's doors are open'd wide, And I am next of kin ; An ancient Mariner meeteth three gallants bidden to a weddingfeast, and detaineth one. The guests are met, the feast is set : [But still he holds the wedding-guest : "There was a ship!" quoth he. 66 Nay! if thou hast got a laughsome tale, He holds him with his skinny hand; "There was a ship," quoth he. "Hold off! unhand me, greybeard loon!" He holds him with his glittering eye And listens like a three-years' child : The wedding-guest sat on a stone : And thus spake on that ancient man, "The ship was cheer'd, the harbour clear'd, Merrily did we drop Below the kirk, below the hill, Below the light-house top. "The sun came up upon the left, 66 Out of the sea came he; And he shone bright, and on the right The wedding-guest here beat his breast, The bride hath paced into the hall, The weddingguest is spellbound by the eye of the old seafaring man, and constrained to hear his tale. The Mariner tells how the ship sailed. southward with a good wind and fair weather, till it reached the line. Red as a rose is she: Nodding their heads, before her goes The wedding-guest he beat his breast, "And now the storm-blast came, and he He struck with his o'ertaking wings, "With sloping masts, and dipping prow, As who pursued with yell and blow The ship drove fast, loud roar'd the blast, "And now there came both mist and snow, And ice mast-high came floating by, "And through the drifts, the snowy clifts Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken,- "The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around; It crack'd and growl'd, and roar'd and howl'd, Like noises in a swound. "At length did cross an albatross, Thorough the fog it came ; The wedding- tinueth his The ship driven by a storm towards the South Pole. The land of ice and of fearful sounds, where no living thing was to be seen. Till a great As if it had been a Christian soul, "It ate the food it ne'er had ate, "And a good South wind sprung up behind; And every day, for food or play, "In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud It perch'd for vespers nine; Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, Glimmer'd the white moonshine." "God save thee, ancient Mariner, Why look'st thou so?" "With my cross-bow I shot the albatross." came through the snow-fog, and was received with great joy and hospitality. And, lo! the albatross proveth a bird of good omen, and followeth the ship as it returned northward through fog and floating ice. The ancient pitably killeth PART II. "The sun now rose upon the right; Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea. "And the good South wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, "And I had done a hellish thing, His shipmates cry out against the ancient Mariner for That made the breeze to blow. " Ah, wretch!' said they, 'the bird to slay That made the breeze to blow!' "Nor dim nor red, like God's own head, The glorious sun uprist; Then all averr'd I had kill'd the bird That brought the fog and mist. ''Twas right,' said they, 'such birds to slay That bring the fog and mist.' "The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow follow'd free; We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea. "Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down, 'Twas sad as sad could be ; And we did speak only to break killing the bird of good-luck. But when the fog cleared off, they justify the same, and thus make themselves accom plices in the crime. The fair breeze The ship hath And the albatross begins to be avenged. |