10 The wedding-guest is spell-bound by the eye of the old seafaring man, and constrained to hear his tale. He holds him with his skinny hand, "Hold off! unhand me, gray-beard loon!" He holds him with his glittering eye- And listens like a three years' child: The wedding-guest sat on a stone: 15 He cannot choose but hear; And thus spake on that ancient man, 20 The Mariner tells how the ship sailed southward with a good wind and fair weather, till it reached the line. The bright-eyed Mariner. The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared, Below the kirk, below the hill, Below the lighthouse top. The sun came up upon the left, Out of the sea came he! And he shone bright, and on the right Higher and higher every day, Till over the mast at noon 30 The wedding-guest here beat his breast, For he heard the loud bassoon. The bride hath paced into the hall, Red as a rose is she; Nodding their heads before her goes The wedding-guest he beat his breast, And now the storm-blast came, and he He struck with his o'ertaking wings, With sloping mast and dipping prow, The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast, And now there came both mist and snow, And it grew wondrous cold: And ice, mast-high, came floating by, And through the drifts the snowy clifts Did send a dismal sheen : Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken- Till a great sea-bird, called the through And lo! the albatross proveth a bird of good omen, and followeth the ship as it returned northward through fog and floating ice. The ancient inhospitably killeth the pious bird of good omen. And a good south wind sprung up behind; And every day, for food or play, Came to the mariner's hollo! In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, It perched for vespers nine; 69 65 70 70 75 Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, "God save thee, ancient Mariner! From the fiends, that plague thee thus !— 80 PART II. THE sun now rose upon the right: Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left 85 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 mariner's hollo! And I had done an hellish thing, And it would work 'em woe: 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 'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay, The fair breeze continues; the ship enters the Pacific Ocean, and sails northward, even till it reaches the Line. The ship hath been suddenly becalmed. The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea. 105 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. 110 Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs 125 |