Which to their corses came again, But a troop of spirits blest: For when it dawned-they dropped their arms, Sweet sounds rose slowly through their mouths, Around, around, flew each sweet sound, Then darted to the Sun; Slowly the sounds came back again, Now mixed, now one by one. Sometimes a-dropping from the sky Sometimes all little birds that are, And now 'twas like all instruments, Now like a lonely flute; And now it is an angel's song, That makes the heavens be mute. It ceased; yet still the sails made on A noise like of a hidden brook In the leafy month of June, Till noon we quietly sailed on, Slowly and smoothly went the ship, but by a blessed troop of angelic spirits, sent down by the invocation of the guardian saint. The lone some spirit from the south-pole carries on the ship as far as the line, in obedience to the angelictroop, but still requireth vengeance. The Polar Spirit's fellow demons, the invisible inhabitants of the element, take part in his wrong; and two of them relate, one to the other, that penance long and heavy for the ancient Mariner hath been accorded to the Polar Spirit, who returneth southward. Under the keel nine fathom deep, The sails at noon left off their tune, The Sun, right up above the mast, But in a minute she 'gan stir, With a short uneasy motion. Then like a pawing horse let go, How long in that same fit I lay, But ere my living life returned, "Is it he?"quoth one, "Is this the man? By him who died on cross, With his cruel bow he laid full low The harmless Albatross. "The spirit who bideth by himself He loved the bird that loved the man The other was a softer voice, As soft as honey-dew: Quoth he, "The man hath penance done, PART VI. FIRST VOICE. UT tell me, tell me! speak again, What makes that ship drive on so fast? What is the ocean doing? SECOND VOICE. Still as a slave before his lord, His great bright eye most silently If he may know which way to go; FIRST VOICE. But why drives on that ship so fast, SECOND VOICE. The air is cut away before, And closes from behind. The Mariner hath been cast into a trance; for the angelic power causeth the vessel to drive north ward faster than human life could en dure. The supernatural motion is retarded; the Mariner awakes, and his penance begins anew. The curse is finally expiated. Fly, brother, fly! more high, more high! For slow and slow that ship will go, When the Mariner's trance is abated. I woke, and we were sailing on 'Twas night, calm night, the moon was high; All stood together on the deck, The pang, the curse, with which they died, I could not draw my eyes from theirs, And now this spell was snapt: once more And looked far forth, yet little saw Like one, that on a lonesome road Doth walk in fear and dread, And having once turned round walks on, And turns no more his head; Because he knows, a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread. But soon there breathed a wind on me, Nor sound nor motion made: Its path was not upon the sea, In ripple or in shade. It raised my hair, it fanned my cheek Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship, Oh! dream of joy! is this indeed Is this the hill? is this the kirk? We drifted o'er the harbour-bar, O let me be awake, my God! The harbour-bay was clear as glass, And on the bay the moonlight lay, And the shadow of the moon. The rock shone bright, the kirk no less, The moonlight steeped in silentness And the bay was white with silent light, Full many shapes, that shadows were, And the an cient Mari ner beholdeth his native country. The angelic spirits leave the dead bodies. |