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The Rime of the Ancyent MarinereI
It is an ancyent Marinere,
And he stoppeth one of three:
"By thy long grey beard and thy glittering eye
"Now wherefore stoppest 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.
But still he holds the wedding-guest--
There was a Ship, quoth he--
"Nay, if thou`st got a laughsome tale,
"Marinere! come with me."
He holds him with his skinny hand,
Quoth he, there was a Ship--
"Now get thee hence, thou grey-beard Loon!
"Or my Staff shall make thee skip.
He holds him with his glittering eye--
The wedding guest stood still
And listens like a three year`s child;
The Marinere hath his will.
The wedding-guest sate on a stone,
He cannot chuse but hear:
And thus spake on that ancyent man,
The bright-eyed Marinere.
The Ship was cheer`d, the Harbour clear`d--
Merrily did we drop
Below the Kirk, below the Hill,
Below the Light-house top.
The Sun came up upon the left,
Out of the Sea came he:
And he shone bright, and on the right
Went down into the Sea.
Higher and Higher every day,
Till over the mast at noon--
The wedding-guest here beat his breast,
For he heard the loud bassoon.
The Bride hath pac`d into the Hall,
Red as a rose is she;
Nodding their heads before her goes
The merry Minstralsy.
The wedding-guest he beat his breast
Yet he cannot chuse but hear:
And thus spake on that ancyent Man,
The bright-eyed Marinere.
Listen, Stranger! Storm and Wind,
A Wind and Tempest strong!
For days and weeks it play`d us freaks--
Like Chaff we drove along.
Listen, Stranger! Mist and Snow,
And it grew wond`rous cauld:
And Ice mast-high came floating by
As green as Emerauld.
And thro` the drifts the snowy clifts
Did send a dismal sheen;
Ne shapes of men ne beasts we ken--
The Ice was all between.
The Ice was here, the Ice was there,
The Ice was all around:
It crack`d and growl`d, and roar`d and howl`d--
Like noises of a swound.
At length did cross an Albatross,
Thorough the Fog it came;
And an it were a Christian Soul,
We hail`d it in God`s name.
The Marineres gave it biscuit-worms,
And round and round it flew:
The Ice did split with a thunder-fit;
The Helmsman steer`d us thro`.
And a good south wind sprung up behind,
The Albatross did follow;
And every day for food or play
Came to the Marinere`s hollo!
In mist or cloud on mast or shroud
It perch`d for vespers nine,
Whiles all the night thro` [fog-smoke white]
Glimmer`d the white moon-shine.
"God save thee, ancyent Marinere!
"From the fiends that plague thee thus--
"Why look`st thou so?"--with my cross bow
I shot the Albatross.
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