THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER." * IN SEVEN PARTS. It is an ancient Mariner, PART I. 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 opened 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!" He holds him with his glittering eye- * See Note. An ancient Mariner meeteth three gallants bidden to a weddingfeast, and detaineth one. The Wedding- 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; The Wedding-Guest sat on a stone: And thus spake on that ancient man, The bright-eyed Mariner. "The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared, Merrily did we drop Below the kirk, below the hill, Below the light-house top. The sun came up upon the left, And he shone bright, and on the right The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, The bride hath paced into the hall, but the Mar Nodding their heads before her goes iner continu eth his tale. The ship The merry minstrelsy. The Wedding-Guest he beat his breast, Yet he cannot choose but hear; And thus spake on that ancient man, The bright-eyed Mariner. "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 roared the blast, And now there came both mist and snow, And ice, mast-high, came floating by, And through the drifts the snowy cliffs Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken— The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around: It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, At length did cross an Albatross, As if it had been a Christian soul, It ate the food it ne'er had eat, And a good south wind sprung up behind; The land of ice, and of fearful sounds where no living thing was to be seen. Till a great 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. And every day, for food or play, In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, "God save thee, ancient Mariner ! 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, Nor any day for food or play His ship mates cry out against the ancient Mari Came to the mariners' hollo! And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work 'em woe: ner, for killing For all averred, I had killed the bird the bird of good luck. That made the breeze to blow. Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay, 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 The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, 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 The silence of the sea! All in a hot and copper sky, The bloody Sun, at noon, Right up above the mast did stand, No bigger than the Moon. Day after day, day after day, Upon a painted ocean. Water, water, every where, But when the fog cleared off, they jus tify the same, and thus make themselves accomplices in the crime. The fair breeze continues; the ship enters the Pacific Ocean, and sails northward, even till it reaches the Line. The ship hath been suddenly bocalmed. And the Albatross begins to be avenged. |