FACILE credo, plures esse Naturas invisibiles quam visibiles PART I. T is an ancient Mariner, IT And he stoppeth one of three. "By thy long grey beard and glittering eye, Now wherefore stopp'st thou me? "The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide, And I am next of kin ; The guests are met, the feast is set: May'st hear the merry din." He holds him with his skinny hand, "There was a ship," quoth he. An ancient Mariner meeteth three gallants bidden to a wedding-feast, and detaineth one. "Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!" The wedding. He holds him with his glittering eye- eye of the old And listens like a three year's child: man, and constrained to hear his tale. The Mariner hath his will. The wedding-guest sat on a stone : And thus spake on that ancient man, The bright-eyed Mariner. The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared, Merrily did we drop Below the kirk, below the hill, Below the light house top. The Mariner The sun came up upon the left, tells how the ship sailed southward with a good Out of the sea came he! And he shone bright, and on the right wind and fair Went down into the sea. weather till it reached the line. Higher and higher every day, Till over the mast at noon The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, The wedding- The bride hath paced into the hall, guest heareth Red as a rose is she; the bridal music; but the mariner continueth his tale. Nodding their heads before her goes The Wedding-Guest he beat his breast, And thus spake on that ancient man, And now the storm-blast came, and he With sloping masts and dipping prow, The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast, And now there came both mist and snow, And ice, mast-high, came floating by, And through the drifts the snowy clifts Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken- The ice was here, the ice was there, It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, At length did cross an Albatross, As if it had been a Christian soul, The ship drawn by a The land of ice, and of fearful sounds where no living thing was to be seen. Till a great sea-bird, called the Albatross, came through the snow-fog, and was received with great joy and hospitality. It ate the food it ne'er had eat, And round and round it flew. The ice did split with a thunder-fit; And lo! the And a good south wind sprung up Albatross proveth a bird of good omen, and followeth the ship as it returned north ward through fog and floating ice. The ancient mariner inhospitably killeth the pious bird of good omen. And every day, for food or play, behind; In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, "God save thee, ancient Mariner! PART II. His shipmates cry out against the 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, 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 'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay, 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, Day after day, day after day, Upon a painted ocean. Water, water, every where, Q 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 The ship hath been suddenly becalmed. And the Albatross begins to be avenged. |