Coleridge, The Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient MarinerRime of the Ancient Mariner

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An ancient Mariner

meeteth three Gallant s

bidden to a w edding feast

and detaineth one.

I t i s an anci ent Mar i ner ,And he st oppet h one of t hree."By t hy l ong gr ey bear d and gl i t t er i ng eye,Now wher ef ore st opp' st t hou me?

The Br i degroom' s door s are opened wi de,And I am next of ki n;

The guest s are met , t he f east i s set :May' st hear t he merr y di n. "

He hol ds hi m wi t h hi s ski nny hand,"Ther e was a shi p, " quot h he. 10"Hol d of f ! unhand me, gr ey- bear d l oon! "Ef t soons hi s hand dr opt he.

The Wedding Guest is

spell‐bound by the eye of

t he old seafaring man,

and constra ined to hear

his tale.

He hol ds hi m wi t h hi s gl i t t er i ng eye - - The Weddi ng- Guest st ood st i l l ,And l i st ens l i ke a t hr ee year s' chi l d:

The Mar i ner hath hi s wi l l .

The Weddi ng- Guest sat on a st one:He cannot choose but hear ;And t hus spake on t hat anci ent man,

The br i ght - eyed Mar i ner . 20

The Mariner tells how the

ship sailed southward

with a good wind and fair

weather ll it reached the

line.

"The shi p was cheer ed, t he harbour cl ear ed,Mer r i l y di d we dr opBel ow t he ki r k, bel ow t he hi l l ,Bel ow t he l i ght house top.

The Sun came up upon t he l ef t ,Out of t he sea came he!And he shone bri ght , and on t he r i ghtWent down i nto t he sea.

Hi gher and hi gher ever y day, Ti l l over t he mast at noon - - " 30

The Weddi ng- Guest her e beat hi s breast ,For he hear d t he l oud bassoon.

The Wedding‐Guest

heareth t he bridal music;

but t he Mariner

con nueth his tale

The br i de hath paced i nto t he hal l ,Red as a rose i s she;Noddi ng t hei r heads bef ore her goes

The mer r y mi nst r el sy.

The Weddi ng- Guest he beat hi s breast , Yet he cannot choose but hear ;And t hus spake on t hat anci ent man,

The br i ght - eyed Mar i ner . 40

The ship dri ven by a storm toward the south pole.

"And now t he STORMBLAST came, and heWas t yrannous and st r ong:He st r uck wi t h hi s o' er t aki ng wi ngs,And chased us sout h al ong.

Wi t h sl opi ng mast s and di ppi ng pr ow,

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

By Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Part I

eridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner hp://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Coleridg/mariner.html

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As who pursued wi t h yel l and bl owSt i l l t r eads t he shadow of hi s f oe,And f orward bends hi s head,

The shi p drove f ast , l oud r oared t he bl ast ,And sout hwar d aye we f l ed. 50

And now t here came bot h mi st and snow,And i t grew wondrous col d:And i ce, mast - hi gh, came f l oat i ng by,As gr een as emeral d.

The land of ice, and of

fearfu l sounds, where no

living thing was to be

seen.

And t hr ough t he dr i f t s t he snowy cl i f t sDi d send a di smal sheen:Nor shapes of men nor beast s we ken - -

The i ce was al l bet ween.

The i ce was her e, t he i ce was t her e, The i ce was al l ar ound: 60I t cr acked and gr owl ed, and roar ed and howl ed,Li ke noi ses i n a swound!

Till a great sea‐bird,

called the Albat ross, came

through the snow‐fog,

and was received wit h

great joy and hospitalit y.

At l engt h di d cross an Al bat r oss, Thor ough t he f og i t came;As i f i t had been a Chr i st i an soul ,We hai l ed i t i n God' s name.

I t at e t he f ood i t ne' er had eat ,And round and r ound i t f l ew.

The i ce di d spl i t wi t h a t hunder - f i t ; The hel msman st eered us t hrough! 70

And lo! t he Albat ross

proveth a bird of good

omen, and followeth t he

ship as it returned

northward t hrough fog

and floa ng ice.

And a good sout h wi nd sprung up behi nd; The Al bat r oss di d f ol l ow,And every day, f or f ood or pl ay,Came to the mari ner' s hol l o!

I n mi st or cl oud, on mast or shroud,I t per ched f or vesper s ni ne;Whi l es al l t he ni ght , t hr ough f og- smoke whi t e,Gl i mmered t he whi t e Moon- shi ne. "

The ancient Mariner

inhospitably killeth the

pious bird of good omen.

"God save t hee, anci ent Mar i ner!Fr om t he f i ends, t hat pl ague t hee t hus! - - 80Why l ook' st t hou so?" - - Wi t h my cross- bowI shot t he ALBATROSS.

Part I I

The Sun now rose upon t he r i ght :

Out of t he sea came he,St i l l hi d i n mi st, and on t he l ef tWent down i nto t he sea.

And t he good sout h wi nd st i l l bl ew behi nd,But no sweet bi r d di d f ol l ow,Nor any day f or f ood or pl ayCame t o t he mar i ner s' hol l o! 90

His shipmates cry out

against t he ancient

Mariner, for killing t he

bird of good luck.

And I had done a hel l i sh thi ng,And i t woul d work ' emwoe:For al l aver red, I had ki l l ed t he bi r d

That made t he breeze t o bl ow.Ah wr et ch! sai d t hey, t he bi r d t o sl ay,

That made t he breeze t o bl ow!

But when the fog cleared

off, they jus fy the same,

and thus make

Nor di m nor r ed, l i ke God' s own head, The gl or i ous Sun upr i st : Then al l averr ed, I had ki l l ed t he bi r d


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t hemselves accomplices in

the crime.

That brought t he f og and mi st . 100' Twas r i ght , sai d t hey, such bi r ds t o sl ay,

That br i ng t he f og and mi st .

The fair breeze con nues;

the ship enters the Pacific

Ocean, and sails

nort hward, even ll it

reaches the Line.

The f ai r breeze bl ew, t he whi t e f oam f l ew, The f ur r ow f ol l owed f r ee;We wer e the f i r st t hat ever bur stI nt o t hat si l ent sea.

The ship hath been

suddenly becalmed.

Down dr opt t he breeze, t he sai l s dropt down,' Twas sad as sad coul d be;And we di d speak onl y t o br eak

The si l ence of t he sea! 110

Al l i n a hot and copper sky, The bl oody Sun, at noon,Ri ght up above t he mast di d st and,No bi gger t han t he Moon.

Day af t er day, day af t er day,We st uck, nor br eat h nor mot i on;As i dl e as a pai nt ed shi pUpon a pai nt ed ocean.

And the Albatross begins

to be avenged.

Water, water , every wher e,And al l t he boar ds di d shr i nk; 120Water, water , every wher e,Nor any dr op t o dr i nk.

The very deep di d r ot : O Chr i st ! That ever t hi s shoul d be! Yea, sl i my t hi ngs di d cr awl wi t h l egsUpon the sl i my sea.

About , about , i n r eel and r out The deat h- f i r es danced at ni ght ; The wat er , l i ke a wi t ch' s oi l s,Bur nt gr een, and bl ue and whi t e. 130

A Spirit had fol lowed

them; one of the invisible

inhabitants of t his planet,

neither departed souls

nor angels; concerning

whom t he learned Jew

Josephus, and the

Platonic

Constan nopolitan,

Michael Psellus, may be

consulted. They are very

numerous, and t here is no

climate or element

wit hout one or more.

And some i n dreams assuréd wereOf t he Spi r i t t hat pl agued us so;Ni ne f athom deep he had f ol l owed usFromt he l and of mi st and snow.

And every tongue, t hrough utt er drought ,Was wi t hered at t he r oot ;We coul d not speak, no more t han i f

We had been choked wi t h soot .

The shipmates, in their

sore dist ress, wou ld fai n

throw t he whole guilt on

the ancient Mariner: in

sign whereof they hang the dead sea‐bird round

his neck.

Ah! wel l a- day! what evi l l ooksHad I f r om ol d and young! 140I nst ead of t he cr oss, t he Al bat r ossAbout my neck was hung.

Par t I I I

Ther e passed a weary t i me. Each t hroatWas par ched, and gl azed each eye.A weary t i me! a weary t i me!


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How gl azed each wear y eye,When l ooki ng west ward, I behel dA somethi ng i n the sky.

The ancient Mariner

beholdeth a sign in the

element afar off.

At f i r st i t seemed a l i t t l e speck,And t hen i t seemed a mi st ; 150I t moved and moved, and took at l astA cer t ai n shape, I wi st .

A speck, a mi st , a shape, I wi st !And st i l l i t near ed and near ed:As i f i t dodged a wat er - spr i t e,I t pl unged and t acked and veer ed.

At it s nearer approach, it

seemeth t o be a ship; and

at a dear ransom he

freeth his speech from the

bonds of thirst.

Wi t h throat s unsl aked, wi t h bl ack l i ps baked,We coul d nor l augh nor wai l ;

Through ut t er drought al l dumb we st ood!I bi t my ar m, I sucked t he bl ood, 160And cri ed, A sai l ! a sai l !

Wi t h throat s unsl aked, wi t h bl ack l i ps baked,Agape t hey heard me cal l :Gr amer cy! t hey f or j oy di d gr i n,And al l at once t hei r br eath dr ew i n,As t hey wer e dr i nki ng al l .

And horror follows. For

can it be a ship t hat

comes onward w ithout

wind or de?

See! see! ( I cr i ed) she tacks no more!Hi t her t o work us weal ;Wi t hout a br eeze, wi t hout a t i de,She st eadi es wi t h upr i ght keel ! 170

The west ern wave was al l a- f l ame. The day was wel l ni gh done!Al most upon the west ern waveRest ed t he broad bri ght Sun;When that st r ange shape dr ove suddenl y

Betwi xt us and the Sun.

It seemeth him but the

skeleton o f a ship.

And st r ai ght t he Sun was f l ecked wi t h bars,( Heaven' s Mother send us grace! )As i f t hr ough a dungeon- gr ate he peer edWi t h br oad and bur ni ng f ace. 180

And it s ribs are seen as

bars on the face of the

se ng Sun.

Al as! ( t hought I , and my hear t beat l oud)How f ast she near s and near s!Ar e those her sai l s t hat gl ance i n t he Sun,Li ke rest l ess gossamer es?

The Spectre‐Woman and

her Death‐mate, and noother on board the

skeleton ship.

Ar e those her r i bs t hr ough whi ch the Sun

Di d peer, as t hr ough a gr ate?And i s t hat Woman al l her cr ew?I s t hat a DEATH? and are ther e two?I s DEATH t hat woman' s mat e?

Like vessel, l ike crew! Her l i ps wer e r ed, her l ooks wer e f r ee, 190Her l ocks were yel l ow as gol d:Her ski n was as whi t e as l epr osy,

The Ni ght - mare LI FE- I N- DEATH was she,Who thi cks man' s bl ood wi t h col d.

Death and Life‐in‐Death

have diced for t he ship's

crew, and she (the la er) winneth the ancient

Mariner.

The naked hul k al ongsi de came,And the t wai n were cast i ng di ce;

"The game i s done! I ' ve won! I ' ve won! "Quoth she, and whi st l es t hr i ce.


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No tw ilight w ithin the

courts of the sun.

The Sun' s r i m di ps; t he st ar s r ush out :At one st r i de comes t he dar k; 200Wi t h f ar- heard whi sper , o' er t he sea,Of f shot t he spect r e- bar k.

At the rising of t he Moon, We l i st ened and l ooked si deways up!Fear at my hear t , as at a cup,My l i f e- bl ood seemed to si p!

The st ar s were di m, and t hi ck t he ni ght ,

The st eersman' s f ace by hi s l amp gl eamed whi t e;Fromt he sai l s t he dew di d dr i p - - Ti l l cl omb above t he east ern bar The hornéd Moon, wi t h one br i ght st ar 210Wi t hi n t he net her t i p.

One a er another, One af t er one, by t he st ar - dogged Moon, Too qui ck f or groan or si gh,Each t ur ned hi s f ace wi t h a ghast l y pang,And cur sed me wi t h hi s eye.

His shipmates drop down

dead.

Four t i mes f i f t y l i vi ng men,( And I hear d nor si gh nor gr oan)Wi t h heavy thump, a l i f el ess l ump,

They dropped down one by one.

But Life‐in‐Death begins

her work on t he ancient

Mariner.

The soul s di d f r om t hei r bodi es f l y, - - 220 They f l ed t o bl i ss or woe!And ever y soul , i t passed me by,Li ke t he whi zz of my cross- bow!

Part I V

The Wedding‐Guest

feareth tha t a Spirit is

talking to him;

"I f ear t hee, anci ent Mar i ner !I f ear t hy ski nny hand!And t hou ar t l ong, and l ank, and br own,As i s t he ri bbed sea- sand.

I f ear t hee and t hy gl i t t er i ng eye,And thy ski nny hand, so br own. " - -Fear not , f ear not , t hou Weddi ng- Guest ! 230

Thi s body dropt not down.

But t he ancient Mariner

assureth him of his bodily

life, and proceedeth t o

relate his horrible

penance.

Al one, al one, al l , al l al one,Al one on a wi de wi de sea!And never a sai nt t ook pi t y onMy soul i n agony.

He despiseth t he

creat ures of t he calm,

The many men, so beaut i f ul !And t hey al l dead di d l i e:And a thousand t housand sl i my t hi ngsLi ved on; and so di d I .

And envieth t hat t hey

should live, and so many

lie dead.

I l ooked upon t he r ot t i ng sea, 240And dr ew my eyes away;I l ooked upon t he rot t i ng deck,And t her e t he dead men l ay.

I l ooked t o heaven, and t r i ed t o pr ay;But or ever a pr ayer had gusht ,A wi cked whi sper came, and made

My hear t as dry as dust .

I cl osed my l i ds, and kept t hem cl ose,And t he bal l s l i ke pul ses beatFor t he sky and t he sea, and the sea and the sky 250Lay l i ke a l oad on my wear y eye,


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And the dead were at my f eet .

But the curse liveth for

him in the eye of the dead

men.

The col d sweat mel t ed f r om t hei r l i mbs,Nor r ot nor r eek di d they:

The l ook wi t h whi ch t hey l ooked on meHad never passed away.

An orphan' s curse woul d dr ag t o hel lA spi r i t f r om on hi gh;

But oh! more horr i bl e t han t hatI s t he cur se i n a dead man' s eye! 260Seven days, seven ni ght s, I saw t hat cur se,And yet I coul d not di e.

In his loneliness and

fixedness he yearneth

towards the journeying

Moon, and the sta rs that

s ll sojourn, yet s ll move

onward; and every where

the blue sky belongs to

them, and is their

appoint ed rest, and their na ve countr y and their

own nat ural homes,

wh ich t hey enter

unannounced, as lords

that are certainly

expected, and yet there is

a silent joy at t heir arrival.

The movi ng Moon went up t he sky,And no wher e di d abi de:Sof t l y she was goi ng up,And a st ar or t wo besi de - -

Her beams bemocked t he sul t r y mai n,Li ke Apr i l hoar - f r ost spr ead;But wher e the shi p' s huge shadow l ay,

The charmed wat er bur nt al way 270A st i l l and awf ul r ed.

By the light of t he Moon

he beholdeth God's

creatures of t he great

calm.

Beyond t he shadow of t he shi p,I watched t he water- snakes:

They moved i n t r acks of shi ni ng whi t e,

And when t hey rear ed, t he el f i sh l i ghtFel l of f i n hoar y f l akes.

Wi t hi n t he shadow of t he shi pI wat ched t hei r r i ch at t i r e:Bl ue gl ossy gr een, and vel vet bl ack,

They coi l ed and swam; and every t r ack 280Was a f l ash of gol den f i r e.

Their beauty and t heir

happiness.

O happy l i vi ng t hi ngs! no t ongue Thei r beauty mi ght decl are:A spr i ng of l ove gushed f r ommy heart ,And I bl essed them unaware:

Sur e my ki nd sai nt t ook pi t y on me,And I bl essed them unaware.

The spell begins to break . The sel f - same moment I coul d pray;And f r om my neck so f r ee

The Al bat r oss f el l of f , and sank 290Li ke l ead i nt o t he sea.

Part V

Oh sl eep! i t i s a gent l e t hi ng,Bel oved f r om pol e t o pol e!

To Mary Queen t he prai se be gi ven!She sent t he gent l e sl eep f r omHeaven,

That sl i d i nto my soul .


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By grace of t he holy

Mother, the ancient

Mariner is refreshed wit h

rain.

The si l l y bucket s on t he deck, That had so l ong r emai ned,I dr eamt t hat t hey wer e f i l l ed wi t h dew;And when I awoke, i t r ai ned. 300

My l i ps were wet , my t hr oat was col d,My gar ment s al l were dank;Sur e I had drunken i n my dr eams,And st i l l my body dr ank.

I moved, and coul d not f eel my l i mbs:I was so l i ght - - al mostI t hought t hat I had di ed i n sl eep,And was a bl esséd ghost .

He heareth sounds and

seeth strange sight s and

commo ons in the sky

and the element.

And soon I heard a r oar i ng wi nd:I t di d not come anear ; 310But wi t h i t s sound i t shook the sai l s,

That were so t hi n and ser e.

The upper ai r bur st i nto l i f e!And a hundr ed f i r e- f l ags sheen,

To and f r o t hey were hur r i ed about !

And t o and f r o, and i n and out , The wan st ar s danced bet ween.

And t he comi ng wi nd di d roar more l oud,And t he sai l s di d si gh l i ke sedge;And t he rai n pour ed down f r om one bl ack cl oud; 320

The Moon was at i t s edge.

The t hi ck bl ack cl oud was cl ef t , and st i l l The Moon was at i t s si de:Li ke waters shot f r omsome hi gh cr ag,

The l i ght ni ng f el l wi t h never a j ag,A r i ver st eep and wi de.

The bodies of t he ship' s

crew are inspired and the

ship moves on;

The l oud wi nd never r eached t he shi p, Yet now t he shi p moved on!Beneat h the l i ghtni ng and the Moon

The dead men gave a groan. 330

They groaned, t hey st i r r ed, t hey al l upr ose,Nor spake, nor moved t hei r eyes;I t had been st r ange, even i n a dr eam,

To have seen t hose dead men r i se.

The hel msman st eered, t he shi p moved on; Yet never a breeze up- bl ew; The mar i ner s al l ' gan work t he r opes,

Where t hey were wont t o do; They r ai sed t hei r l i mbs l i ke l i f el ess t ool s - -We wer e a ghast l y cr ew. 340

The body of my brot her ' s sonSt ood by me, knee to knee:

The body and I pul l ed at one r ope,But he sai d nought t o me.

But not by the souls of the

men, nor by daemons of

earth or midd le air, but by

a blessed troop of angelic

spirit s, sent down by the

invoca on of the

guardian saint.

"I f ear t hee, anci ent Mar i ner ! "Be cal m, t hou Weddi ng- Guest !' Twas not t hose soul s t hat f l ed i n pai n,Whi ch t o thei r corses came agai n,

But a t r oop of spi r i t s bl est :

For when i t dawned - - t hey dr opped t hei r arms, 350And cl ust ered r ound t he mast ;Sweet sounds r ose sl owl y t hrough t hei r mout hs,And f r omt hei r bodi es passed.


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Ar ound, around, f l ew each sweet sound, Then dart ed t o t he Sun;Sl owl y t he sounds came back agai n,Now mi xed, now one by one.

Somet i mes a- dr oppi ng f r omt he skyI hear d t he sky- l ar k si ng;Somet i mes al l l i t t l e bi r ds t hat ar e, 360How t hey seemed t o f i l l t he sea and ai rWi t h t hei r sweet j ar goni ng!

And now ' t was l i ke al l i nst r ument s,Now l i ke a l onel y f l ut e;And now i t i s an angel ' s song,

That makes t he heavens be mute.

I t ceased; yet st i l l t he sai l s made onA pl easant noi se t i l l noon,A noi se l i ke of a hi dden br ookI n t he l eaf y mont h of J une, 370

That t o t he sl eepi ng woods al l ni ghtSi nget h a qui et t une.

Ti l l noon we qui et l y sai l ed on, Yet never a breeze di d breathe:Sl owl y and smoot hl y went t he shi p,Moved onward f r om beneat h.

The lonesome Spiri t from

the south‐pole carries on

t he ship as far as the Line,

in obedience to t he

angelic troop, but s ll

requir eth vengeance.

Under t he keel ni ne f athomdeep,Fromt he l and of mi st and snow,

The spi r i t sl i d: and i t was he That made t he shi p t o go. 380 The sai l s at noon l ef t of f t hei r t une,And t he shi p st ood st i l l al so.

The Sun, r i ght up above t he mast ,Had f i xed her t o the ocean:But i n a mi nut e she ' gan st i r ,Wi t h a short uneasy mot i on - -Backwards and f orwards hal f her l engt hWi t h a shor t uneasy mot i on.

Then l i ke a pawi ng horse l et go,She made a sudden bound: 390I t f l ung the bl ood i nt o my head,And I f el l down i n a swound.

The Polar Spirit's fellow‐

daemons, the invisible

inhabitants of the

element, take part in h is

wrong; and two of t hem

relate, one to the other,

that penance long and

heavy for t he ancient

Mariner hat h been

accorded to the Polar

Spirit , who returneth

southward.

How l ong i n that same f i t I l ay,I have not t o decl ar e;

But er e my l i vi ng l i f e ret ur ned,I heard and i n my soul di scerned

Two voi ces i n t he ai r .

"I s i t he?" quot h one, "I s t hi s t he man?By hi m who di ed on cr oss,Wi t h hi s cr uel bow he l ai d f ul l l ow 400

The harml ess Al bat r oss.

The spi r i t who bi det h by hi msel f I n t he l and of mi st and snow,He l oved t he bi r d t hat l oved t he manWho shot hi m wi t h hi s bow. "

The ot her was a sof t er voi ce,As sof t as honey- dew:Quoth he, "The man hath penance done,And penance more wi l l do. "


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Part VI

FI RST VOI CE:

"But t el l me, tel l me! speak agai n, 410 Thy sof t r esponse r enewi ng - -What makes t hat shi p dri ve on so f ast ?What i s t he ocean doi ng?"

SECOND VOI CE:

"St i l l as a sl ave bef ore hi s l ord, The ocean hath no bl ast ;Hi s gr eat br i ght eye most si l ent l yUp t o the Moon i s cast - -

I f he may know whi ch way t o go;For she gui des hi m smoot h or gr i m.See, br ot her , see! how gr aci ousl yShe l ooket h down on hi m. " 420

The mariner ha th been

cast in to a t rance; for the

angelic power causeth the

vessel to drive northward

faster than human life

could endure.

FI RST VOI CE:

"But why dr i ves on t hat shi p so f ast ,Wi t hout or wave or wi nd?"

SECOND VOI CE:

"The ai r i s cut away bef or e,And cl oses f r ombehi nd.

Fl y, br ot her , f l y! mor e hi gh, mor e hi gh!Or we shal l be bel ated:For sl ow and sl ow t hat shi p wi l l go,When t he Mar i ner ' s t r ance i s abated. "

The supernatural mo on is retarded; the Mar iner

awakes, and his penance

begins anew.

I woke, and we wer e sai l i ng on 430As i n a gent l e weather :' Twas ni ght , cal m ni ght , t he moon was hi gh;

The dead men st ood t oget her .

Al l st ood toget her on t he deck,For a char nel - dungeon f i t t er :Al l f i xed on me t hei r st ony eyes,

That i n t he Moon di d gl i t t er .

The pang, t he cur se, wi t h whi ch t hey di ed,Had never passed away:I coul d not dr aw my eyes f r om thei r s, 440Nor t ur n t hemup t o pr ay.

The curse is finally

expiated.

And now t hi s spel l was snapt : once moreI vi ewed t he ocean green,And l ooked f ar f or t h, yet l i t t l e sawOf what had el se been seen - -

Li ke one, t hat on a l onesome roadDoth wal k i n f ear and dr ead,And havi ng once t urned r ound wal ks on,And t urns no more hi s head;Because he knows, a f r i ght f ul f i endDot h cl ose behi nd hi m t r ead. 450

But soon t here breathed a wi nd on me,Nor sound nor mot i on made:I t s path was not upon t he sea,I n r i ppl e or i n shade.

I t r ai sed my hai r , i t f anned my cheek


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Li ke a meadow- gal e of spr i ng - -I t mi ngl ed st r angel y wi t h my f ear s,

Yet i t f el t l i ke a wel comi ng.

Swi f t l y, swi f t l y f l ew t he shi p, Yet she sai l ed sof t l y t oo: 460Sweet l y, sweet l y bl ew t he br eeze - -On me al one i t bl ew.

And the ancient Mariner beholdeth his na ve

country.

Oh! dr eam of j oy! i s t hi s i ndeed The l i ght - house t op I see?I s thi s the hi l l ? i s thi s the ki rk?I s t hi s mi ne own count r ee?

We dr i f t ed o' er t he harbour - bar ,And I wi t h sobs di d pr ay - -O l et me be awake, my God! 470Or l et me sl eep al way.

The harbour - bay was cl ear as gl ass,So smoot hl y i t was st r ewn!And on the bay t he moonl i ght l ay,And the shadow of t he Moon

The r ock shone br i ght , t he ki r k no l ess, That st ands above t he r ock: The moonl i ght st eeped i n si l ent ness The st eady weather cock.

The angelic spiri ts leave

the dead bodies;

And t he bay was whi t e wi t h si l ent l i ght , 480 Ti l l r i si ng f r om t he same,Ful l many shapes, t hat shadows were,I n cr i mson col our s came.

And appear in their own

forms of light .

A l i t t l e di stance f r om t he pr ow Those cr i mson shadows were:

I t urned my eyes upon the deck - -Oh, Chr i st ! what saw I t her e!

Each corse l ay f l at , l i f el ess and f l at ,And, by t he hol y rood!A man al l l i ght , a ser aph- man, 490On ever y corse t here st ood.

Thi s ser aph- band, each waved hi s hand:I t was a heavenl y si ght !

They st ood as si gnal s t o t he l and,Each one a l ovel y l i ght ;

Thi s ser aph- band, each waved hi s hand,No voi ce di d t hey i mpart - -No voi ce; but oh! t he si l ence sankLi ke musi c on my hear t .

But soon I hear d t he dash of oar s, 500I hear d t he Pi l ot ' s cheer ;My head was t urned per f or ce awayAnd I saw a boat appear.

The Pi l ot and t he Pi l ot ' s boy,I heard t hem comi ng f ast :Dear Lord i n Heaven! i t was a j oy

The dead men coul d not bl ast .

I saw a t hi r d - - I hear d hi s voi ce:I t i s t he Her mi t good!He si nget h l oud hi s godl y hymns 510

That he makes i n t he wood.He' l l shr i eve my soul , he' l l wash away


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The Al bat r oss ' s bl ood.

Par t VI I

The Hermit of t he Wood, Thi s Hermi t good l i ves i n t hat woodWhi ch sl opes down to t he sea.How l oudl y hi s sweet voi ce he rears!He l oves t o tal k wi t h mari ner es

That come f r om a f ar count r ee.

He kneel s at morn, and noon, and eve - -He hat h a cushi on pl ump:I t i s t he moss t hat whol l y hi des 520

The r ot t ed ol d oak- st ump.

The ski f f - boat neared: I heard t hem t al k,"Why, t hi s i s st r ange, I t r ow!Where are t hose l i ghts so many and f ai r ,

That si gnal made but now?"

Approacheth the ship

wit h wonder.

"St r ange, by my f ai t h! " t he Her mi t sai d - -"And t hey answered not our cheer!

The pl anks l ooked warped! and see t hose sai l s,How t hi n t hey ar e and ser e! 530I never saw aught l i ke t o them,Unl ess perchance i t were

Br own skel et ons of l eaves t hat l agMy f orest - br ook al ong;When t he i vy- t od i s heavy wi t h snow,And t he owl et whoops t o the wol f bel ow,

That eats t he she- wol f ' s young. "

"Dear Lor d! i t hat h a f i endi sh l ook - -( The Pi l ot made repl y)I am a- f ear ed" - - "Push on, push on! " 540

Sai d t he Her mi t cheer i l y.

The boat came cl oser t o t he shi p,But I nor spake nor st i r r ed;

The boat came cl ose beneat h t he shi p,And st r ai ght a sound was heard.

The ship suddenly sinketh . Under t he water i t r umbl ed on,St i l l l ouder and mor e dr ead:I t r eached t he shi p, i t spl i t t he bay;

The shi p went down l i ke l ead.

The ancient Mariner is

saved in the Pilot 's boat.

Stunned by that l oud and dreadf ul sound, 550

Whi ch sky and ocean smot e,Li ke one t hat hat h been seven days drownedMy body l ay af l oat ;But swi f t as dr eams, mysel f I f oundWi t hi n t he Pi l ot ' s boat .

Upon t he whi r l , wher e sank the shi p, The boat spun r ound and r ound;And al l was sti l l , save t hat t he hi l lWas t el l i ng of t he sound.

I moved my l i ps - - the Pi l ot shr i eked 560And f el l down i n a f i t ;

The hol y Hermi t r ai sed hi s eyes,And pr ayed where he di d si t .

I t ook the oar s: t he Pi l ot ' s boy,Who now dot h cr azy go,Laughed l oud and l ong, and al l t he whi l e


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Hi s eyes went t o and f r o."Ha! ha! " quot h he, "Ful l pl ai n I see,

The Devi l knows how t o r ow. "

And now, al l i n my own count r ee, 570I st ood on t he f i r m l and!

The Hermi t st epped f or t h f r om t he boat ,And scar cel y he coul d st and.

The ancient Mariner earnestly entreateth the

Hermit to shrieve him;

and t he penance of life

falls on him.

"O shr i eve me, shr i eve me, hol y man! " The Hermi t cr ossed hi s brow."Say qui ck, " quot h he, "I bi d t hee say - -what manner of man art t hou?"

Fort hwi t h thi s f r ame of mi ne was wr enchedWi t h a wof ul agony,Whi ch f or ced me t o begi n my t al e; 580And t hen i t l ef t me f r ee.

And ever and anon

throughout his future life

an agony constrai neth

him to t ravel from land to land.

Si nce t hen, at an uncer t ai n hour , That agony r et urns:And t i l l my ghast l y t al e i s t ol d,

Thi s hear t wi t hi n me bur ns.

I pass, l i ke ni ght , f r om l and t o l and;I have st r ange power of speech;

That moment t hat hi s f ace I see,I know t he man t hat must hear me:

To hi m my t al e I t each. 590

What l oud upr oar bur st s f r omt hat door! The weddi ng- guest s are t her e:But i n t he garden- bower t he br i deAnd br i de-mai ds si ngi ng are:And har k t he l i t t l e vesper bel l ,Whi ch bi ddet h me t o prayer !

O Weddi ng-Guest ! t hi s soul hath beenAl one on a wi de wi de sea:So l onel y ' t was, t hat God hi msel f Scar ce seemed t her e t o be. 600

O sweet er t han t he marr i age- f east ,' Ti s sweet er f ar t o me,

To wal k t oget her t o t he ki r kWi t h a goodl y company! - -

To wal k t oget her t o t he ki r k,And al l t oget her pr ay,Whi l e each t o hi s great Fat her bends,

Ol d men, and babes, and l ovi ng f r i endsAnd yout hs and mai dens gay!

And to teach by his own

example, love and

reverence to all things

that God made and

loveth.

Far ewel l , f ar ewel l ! but t hi s I t el l 610 To t hee, t hou Weddi ng- Guest !He pr ayet h wel l , who l ovet h wel lBot h man and bi r d and beast .

He pr ayeth best , who l oveth bestAl l t hi ngs bot h gr eat and smal l ;For t he dear God who l ovet h us,He made and l ovet h al l .

The Mar i ner , whose eye i s br i ght ,Whose beard wi t h age i s hoar ,I s gone: and now t he Weddi ng- Guest 620

Turned f r om t he br i degroom' s door .

He went l i ke one t hat hat h been st unned,


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And i s of sense f or l or n:A sadder and a wi ser man,He r ose t he mor r ow mor n.


Documents

Coleridge, The Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient MarinerRime of the Ancient Mariner