Chapter 3 THE RIME OF THE ANCYENT MARINERE-1
IN SEVEN PARTS.
ARGUMENT.
I.
It is an ancyent Marinere,
And he stoppeth one of three:
"By thy long gray beard and thy glittering eye
"Now wherefore stoppest me?
"The Bridegrooms doors are open wide
"And I am next of kin;
"The Guests are met, the Feast is set,--
"Mayst hear the merry din.--
But still he holds the wedding-guest--
There was a Ship, quoth he--
"Nay, if thoust got a laughsome tale,
"Marinere! come with me."
He holds him with his skinny hand,
Quoth he, there was a Ship--
"Now get thee henceforth, 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 years 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 cheered, the Harbor clear--
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 pack 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 played us freaks--
Like Chaff we drove along.
Listen, Stranger! Mist and Snow,
And it grew wondrous cauld:
And Ice mast-high came ?oating 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 cracked and growld, and roadard and howld--
Like noises of a swound.
At length did cross an Albatross,
Thorough the Fog it came;
And an it were a Christian Soul,
We hailed it in Gods name.
The Marineres gave it biscuit-worms,
And round and round it ?ew:
The Ice did split with a Thunder-?t;
The Helmsman steer us thro.
And a good south wind sprung up behind,
The Albatross did follow;
And every day for food or play
Came to the Marineres hollo!
In mist or cloud on mast or shroud
It perchd for vespers nine,
While all the night thro fog-smoke white
Glimmerd the white moon-shine.
"God save thee, ancyent Marinere!
"From the ?ends that plague thee thus--
"Why lookt thou so?"--with my cross bow
I shot the Albatross.