For the himself under supernatural agency. "In this idea originated the plan of the Lyrical Ballads; in which it was agreed that my endeavours should be directed to persons and characters supernatural, or at least romantic; yet so as to transfer from our inward nature a human The Wedding-Guest he beat his breast, "And now the Storm-blast came, and he interest and a semblance of truth sufficient to Mr. Wordsworth, on the other hand, was to propose to himself as nor understand. was not With sloping masts and dipping prow, The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast, And now there came both mist and snow, "Much the greatest part of the story was 1 at once re And through the drifts the snowy clifts Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken- 30 40 50 13-21. The Wedding-Guest is spell-bound by the eye of the old seafaring man, and constrained to hear his tale. southward with a good wind and fair weather, till The Mariner tells how the ship sailed it reached the line. 21-30. 31-40. The Wedding Guest heareth the bridal music but the Mariner continueth his tale. 41-50. The ship driven by a storm toward the south pole. 51-62. The land of ice, and of fearful sounds, where no living thing was to be seen. In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, It perched for vespers nine;+ 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:5 Then all averred, I had killed the bird 'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay, That bring the fog and mist. The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, 70 The furrow followed free; We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea. 100 Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down, 'Twas sad as sad could be; And we did speak only to break Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, All in a hot and copper sky, Glimmered the white moon-shine.' "God save thee, ancient Mariner! I shot the Albatross. PART II. "The Sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left And the good south wind still blew behind, And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work 'em woe: 63-70. Till a great sea bird, called the Albatross, came through the snow-fog, and was received with great joy and hospitality. 71-78. And lo! the Albatross proveth a bird of good omen, and followeth the ship as it returned northward through fog and floating ice. 79-82. The ancient Mariner inhospitably killeth the pious bird of good omen. 83-96. His shipmates cry out against the ancient Mariner, for killing the bird of good luck. 97-102. But when the fog cleared off, they justify the same, and thus make themselves accomplices in the crime. 103-106. The fair breeze continues; the ship enters the Pacific Ocean, and sails northward, even till it reaches the Line. 2 swoon, dream The bloody Sun, at noon, Right up above the mast did stand, No bigger than the Moon. We stuck, nor breath nor motion; Water, water, everywhere. The very deep did rot: O Christ! Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs About, about, in reel and rout And some in dreams assured were 107-118. 119-130. avenged. 131-138. 110 120 130 The ship hath been suddenly becalmed. And the Albatross begins to be the invisible inhabitants of this planet, neither A Spirit had followed them; one of departed souls nor angels: concerning whom the learned Jew, Josephus, and the Platonic Constantinopolitan, Michael Psellus, may be consulted. 3 "The marineres gave it biscuit-worms" (1798 ed.) They are very numerous, and there is no climate 4 nine evenings or element without one or more. 5 Properly a present tense; cp. p. 61, note 16. The naked hulk alongside came, With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,The game is done! I've won! I've won!' We could nor laugh, nor wail; Through utter drought all 'dumb we stood! I bit my arm, I sucked the blood, And cried, A sail! a sail! 160 Quoth she, and whistles thrice. The Sun's rim dips; the stars rush out. With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, Off shot the spectre-bark. Agape they heard me call: Gramercy! they for joy did grin, And all at once their breath drew in, As they were drinking all. See! see!' (I cried) 'she tacks no more! 170 We listened and looked sideways up! 200 The stars were dim, and thick the night, white; From the sails the dew did drip Till clomb above the eastern bar The hornèd Moon, with one bright star 210 177-186. It seemeth him but the skeleton of a ship. And its ribs are seen as bars on the face of the setting Sun. 187-194. The Spectre-Woman and her Deathmate, and no other on board the skeleton-ship. Like vessel, like crew! 195-198. Death and Life-in-Death have diced for the ship's crew, and she (the latter) winneth the ancient Mariner. 199-202. No twilight within the courts of the 203-223. At the rising of the Moon, one after Sun. The Albatross fell off, and sank Like lead into the sea. 290 The loud wind never reached the ship, Beneath the lightning and the Moon They groaned, they stirred, they all uprose, It had been strange, even in a dream, To have seen those dead men rise. The helmsman steered, the ship moved on; The mariners all 'gan work the ropes, They raised their limbs like lifeless tools- The body of my brother's son Stood by me, knee to knee: The body and I pulled at one rope But he said nought to me. "I fear thee, ancient Mariner!''. 'Twas not those souls that fled in pain, But a troop of spirits blest: 330 340 Sweet sounds rose slowly through their mouths, Around, around, flew each sweet sound, Slowly the sounds came back again, Sometimes a-dropping from the sky And now 'twas like all instruments, And now it is an angel's song, It ceased; yet still the sails made on 292-308. By grace of the holy Mother, the In the leafy month of June, ancient Mariner is refreshed with rain. 309-326. He heareth sounds and seeth strange sights and commotions in the sky and the element. 327-376. The bodies of the ship's crew are inspired, and the ship moves on; but not by the souls of the men, nor by demons of earth or middle air, but by a blessed troop of angelic spirits, sent down by the invocation of the guardian saint. 8 Perhaps "useless" but the original meaning "blessed" will fit very well, That to the sleeping woods all night Till noon we quietly sailed on, 360 370 |