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; "The guests are met, the feast is set: "May'st hear the merry din." He holds him with his skinny hand, "There was a ship," quoth he. "Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!" Eftsoons his hand dropt he. He holds him with his glittering eye- And listens like a three years The Mariner hath his will. child: The wedding-guest sat on a stone: And thus spake on that ancient man, The ship was cheer'd, the harbour clear'd, An ancient Mariner meeteth three Gallants bidden to a wedding-feast, and detaineth one. The weddingguest is spellbound by the eye of the old sea-faring 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. The wedding guest heareth the bridal music; but the mariner continueth his tale. The ship drawn by a storm toward the south pole. Below the kirk, below the hill, The Sun came up upon the left, And he shone bright, and on the right Higher and higher every day, The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, The bride hath paced into the hall, Nodding their heads before her goes The Wedding-Guest he beat his breast, And thus spake on that ancient man, And now the STORM-BLAST came, and he He struck with his o'ertaking wings, With sloping masts and dipping prow, The ship drove fast, loud roar'd the blast, And southward aye we fled. And now there came both mist and snow, And it grew wonderous cold: And ice, mast-high, came floating by, And through the drifts the snowy clift Did send a dismal sheen: Nor shapes of men nor beasts we kenThe ice was all between. The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around: It cracked and growled, and roar'd and howl'd, Like noises in a swound! At length did cross an Albatross: Thorough the fog it came; As if it had been a Christian soul, We hailed it in God's name. It ate the food it ne'er had eat, And a good south wind sprung up behind; The Albatross did follow, And every day, for food or play, Came to the Mariner's hollo! In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, It perch'd for vespers nine; Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, Glimmered the white Moon-shine. "God save thee, ancient Mariner! The land of ice, and of fearful sounds, where no living thing was to be seen. Till a great sea-bird, called 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 Mariner inhospitably killeth the pious bird of good omen. PART THE SECOND. The Sun now rose upon the right: 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, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariners' hollo! And I had done an hellish thing, For all averred, I had killed the bird Nor dim nor red, like God's own head, Then all averred, I had killed the bird 'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay, accomplices in the crime. The fair breeze The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, *In the former edition the line was, The furrow follow'd free; but I had not been long on board a ship, before I perceived that this was the image as seen by a spectator from the shore, or from another vessel. From the ship itself the Wake appears like a brook flowing off from the stern. We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea. continues; the ship enters the Pacific Ocean and sails northward, even till it reaches the Line. Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down, "Twas sad as sad could be; And we did speak only to break The silence of the sea! The ship hath been suddenly becalmed. |