From the rime of the ancient mariner

(Lines 83-138)

The Sun came up upon the right,

Out of the Sea came he;

And broad as a weft¹ upon the left

Went down into the Sea.

And the good south wind still blew behind,

But no sweet Bird did follow

Ne² any day for food or play

Came to the Mariner's hollo³!

And I had done an hellish thing to

And it would work 'em woe⁴:

For all averr'd⁵, I had kill'd the Bird

That made the Breeze to blow.

Ne dim ne red, like God's own head,

The glorious Sun uprisf:

Then all averr'd, I had kill'd the Bird

That brought the fog and mist.

'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay⁷

That bring the fog and mist.

The breezes blew, the white foam flew, so

The furrow⁸ follow'd free:

We were the first that ever burst

Into that silent Sea.

Down dropt⁹ 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, ne breath ne motion,

As idle as a painted Ship

Upon a painted Ocean.

Water, water, every where

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where

Ne any drop to drink.

The very deeps¹⁰ did rot¹¹: O Christ!

That ever this should be!

Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs

Upon the slimy Sea.

About, about, in reel and rout¹²

The Death-fires danc'd at night;

The water, like a witch's oils,

Burnt green and blue and white.

And some in dreams assured were

Of the Spirit that plagued¹³ us so:

Nine fathom¹⁴ deep he had follow'd us

From the Land of Mist and Snow.

And every tongue thro' utter drouth¹⁵

Was wither'd¹⁶ at the root;

We could not speak no more than if

We had been choked with soot¹⁷.

Ah wel-a-day!¹⁸ what evil looks

Had I from old and young;

Instead of the Cross the Albatross

About my neck was hung.

1. weft: cross threads of a web

2. ne: nor.

3. hollo: call

4. work 'em woe: bring them misfortune

5. averr'd: claimed

6. uprist: rose up

7. slay: kill

8. furrow: movement of the water

9. dropt: dropped

10. deeps: bottom of the ocean

11. rot: become rotten

12. reel and rout: violent, tumultuous action.

13. plagued: haunted, followed incessantly.

14. fathom: a unit of measurement for the sea.

15. drouth: drought, lack of water.

16. wither'd: dried up.

17. soot: chimney dust.

18. wel-a-day: Alas! (an obsolete exclamation).

1. What is the rhyme scheme of this poem?

2. Find at least two examples of each of the following:

• repetition …………………………………………..

• alliteration...............................................................

• internal rhyme.........................................................

• archaic language.....................................................

• simile......................................................................

3. Find examples in the text of supernatural phenomena. Describe the effect they have on you and comment on Coleridge's declared aims with regard to his task in the Lyrical Ballads.

4. In which direction was the ship going? How do you know this?

5. Describe in your own words what happens to the ship.

6. How does the mariner feel about having killed the albatross? How do his fellow mariners react? Are they consistent in their attitude? Support your answer with evidence from the text.

7. Why do you think the mariner killed the albatross? Was there any justification for his action?

8. Have you ever done something in a moment of folly which you later regretted? How, if at all, did you try to make up for this action?

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