came through the snow-log, and was received with great joy As if it had been a Christian soul, and hospi- It ate the food it ne'er had eat, And round and round it flew. tality. albatross The ice did split with a thunder-fit; And, lo! the And a good south wind sprung up proveth a bird of good omen, and And every day, for food or play, followeth the ship as Came to the mariner's hollo. it returned northward through for and floating ice. behind; In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, The ancient God save thee, ancient mariner, mariner in hospitably From the fiends that plague thee thus! killeth pious bird of Why look'st thou so?" good or en. I shot the albatross. With my crossbow His ship mates cry 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, And I had done a hellish thing, out against And it would work 'em woe; the ancient For all averred, I had killed the bird 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 'T was right, said they, such birds to slay, The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, We were the first that ever burst Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down, 'T was 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, As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean. Water, water, everywhere, 147 mariner for killing the bird of good luck. But when the fog cleared off, they justify 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 bath been suddenly becalmed. And the albatross begins to be avenged. The very deep did rot: O Christ! Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs About, about, in reel and rout, A spirit had And some in dreams assured were followed them, one of Of the spirit that plagued us so; the invisible inhabitants Nine fathom deep he had followed us of this plan- From the land of mist and snow. et, neither departed souls nor angels: concerning whom the learned Jew, Josephus, and the Platonic Constantinopolitan, Michael Psellus, may be consulted. They are very numerous, and there is no climate or element without one or more. The ancient mar And every tongue, through utter drought, Was withered at the root; We could not speak, no more than if Ah! well-a-day! what evil looks PART III. Each throat THERE passed a weary time. How glazed each weary eye, iner behold. When, looking westward, I beheld eth a sign in the element A something in the sky. afar off. At first it seemed a little speck, It moved, and moved, and took at last A speck, a mist, a shape I wist, With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, Through utter drought all dumb we stood; With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, See! see! I cried, she tacks no more! The western wave was all a-flame, When that strange shape drove suddenly And straight the sun was flecked with bars, At its nearer approach, it see meth him to be a zhip, and at a dear ransom he freeth his speech from the bonda of thirst. A flash of joy. And horror follows; for can it be a ship that comes onward without wind or tide ? It seemeth him but the skeleton of a ship. are seen as As if through a dungeon-grate he peered Alas! thought I, and my heart beat loud, Are those her sails that glance in the sun And its ribs Are those her ribs through which the sun face of the The spectre setting sun. And is that woman all her crew? woman and Is that a Death? and are there two? mate, and Is Death that woman's mate? her death no other, on board the skeleton ship. like crew. Her lips were red, her looks were free, Like vessel, Her locks were yellow as gold; Death and The naked hulk alongside came, Life-in Death have And the twain were casting dice; diced for the ship's crew; "The game is done! I've won, I 've won!" and she (the latter) win. Quoth she, and whistles thrice. neth the ancient mariner. The sun's rim dips; the stars rush out; within the At one stride comes the dark; No twilight courts of the sun. With far-heard whisper, o'er the sea At the rising We listened and looked sideways up! My life-blood seemed to sip! The stars were dim, and thick the night; The steersman's face by his lamp gleamed white; |