"In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, It perched for vespers nine; Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, 'God save thee, Ancient Mariner! From the fiends that plague thee thus !— Why look'st thou so?”—“ With my cross bow I shot the Albatross !" The Ancient Mariner inhospitably killeth the pious bird of good omen. 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 Came to the mariners' hollo. "And I had done a hellish thing, 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 The glorious sun uprist; Then all averred I had killed the bird His ship-mates cry out against the Ancient 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 reached the Line. The ship hath been suddenly becalmed; That brought the fog and mist: "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, We stuck-nor breath nor motion; As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean. 66 And the Alba- Water, water everywhere, tross begins to be And all the boards did shrink; avenged. Water, water everywhere, Nor any drop to drink! "The very deep did rot; O Christ! That ever this should be! Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs Upon the slimy sea! "About, about, in reel and rout, "And some in dreams assured were A Spirit had followed themone of the invisible inhabitants of this planet, neither departed souls nor angels; concerning whom the learned Jew, Josephus, and the Platonic Constantinopolitan, Michael Psellus, may be "And every tongue, through utter drought, consulted. They Was withered at the root; We could not speak, no more than if "Ah! well-a-day! what evil looks PART III. "THERE passed a weary time. Each throat "At first it seemed a little speck, It moved and moved, and took at last are very numerous, and there is no climate or elcment without one or more. The ship-mates, in their sore distress, would fain throw the whole guilt on the Ancient Mariner : in sign whereof they hang the dead sea-bird round his neck. The Ancient Mariner beholdeth a sign in the element afar off. At its nearer approach, it seemeth him to be a ship: and at a "A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist! It plunged and tacked and veered. 66 With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, We could nor laugh nor wail; dear ransom he Through utter drought all dumb we stood! freeth his speech from the bonds of thirst. I bit my arm, I sucked the blood, And cried, 'A sail! a sail!' "With throats unslaked, with black lips Agape they heard me call; A flash of joy. Gramercy! they for joy did grin, And horror fol lows. For can it be a ship that comes onward And all at once their breath drew in, As they were drinking all. [baked, "See! see!' I cried, she tacks no more! Hither to work us weal Without a breeze, without a tide, without wind or She steadies with upright keel!' tide? 66 The western wave was all a-flame; The day was well nigh done; Almost upon the western wave Rested the broad, bright sun, When that strange shape drove suddenly It seemeth him "And straight the sun was flecked with bars, but the skeleton of a ship. (Heaven's mother send us grace!) As if through a dungeon-grate he peered 66 6 Alas!' thought I-and my heart beat loud 'How fast she nears and nears! Are those her sails that glance in the sun, Like restless gossameres? 666 Are those her ribs through which the sun And its ribs are Did peer as through a grate? And is that woman all her crew? Is that a death? and are there two? Is Death that woman's mate ?' "Her lips were red, her looks were free, seen as bars on the face of the setting sun. The spectre-woman and her deathmate, and no other on board the skeleton ship. Like vessel, like crew! "The naked hulk alongside came, And the twain were casting dice: Death and Lifein-Death have diced for the 'The game is done! I've won! I've won !' ship's crew, and Quoth she, and whistles thrice. “The sun's rim dips, the stars rush out, At one stride comes the dark; "We listened, and looked sideways up; My life-blood seemed to sip; The stars were dim, and thick the night- white; she (the latter) winneth the Ancient Mariner. No twilight within the courts of the Sun. At the rising of the moon. |