And the Al- Water, water, every where,

batross begins

to be avenged. And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink.

The very deep did rot: O Christ!

That ever this should be!

Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs

Upon the slimy sea.

About, about, in reel and rout
The death-fires danced at night;

The water, like a witch's oils,
Burnt green, and blue and white.

A spirit had And some in dreams assured were followed

them; one of Of the spirit that plagued us so :

the invisible

inhabitants of Nine fathom deep he had followed us

this planet,

neither depar- From the land of mist and snow.

ted souls nor

angels; con

cerning whom

the learned Jew, Josephus, and the Platonic Constantinopolitan, Michael Psellus, may be consulted. They are very numerous, and there is no climate or element without one or more.

And every tongue, through utter drought,

Was withered at the root;

We could not speak, no more than if

We had been choked with soot.

Ah! well a-day! what evil looks
Had I from old and young!
Instead of the cross, the Albatross
About my neck was hung.

The shipmates, in their sore distress, would fain throw the whole guilt on the ancient Mariner: in sign whereof they hang the dead sea-bird round his neck.

THE RIME

OF

THE ANCIENT MARINER.

PART THE THIRD.

THERE passed a weary time. Each throat
Was parched, and glazed each eye.

A

time!

weary time! a weary How glazed each weary eye,

The ancient When looking westward, I beheld

Mariner be

holdeth a sign A something in the sky.

in the element

afar off.

At first it seemed a little speck,

And then it seemed a mist:

It moved and moved, and took at last
A certain shape, I wist.

A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist!
And still it neared and neared:
As if it dodged a water-sprite,
It plunged and tacked and veered.

With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, At its nearer

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!

With throats unslaked, with black lips baked,

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!

Hither to work us weal;
Without a breeze, without a tide,
She steadies with upright keel!

The western wave was all a-flame.
The day was well nigh done!
Almost upon the western wave

Rested the broad bright Sun;

When that strange shape drove suddenly
Betwixt us and the Sun.

And straight the Sun was flecked with bars, (Heaven's Mother send us grace!)

approach, it seemeth him to be a ship; and at a dear ransom he freeth his speech from the bonds of thirst.

A flash of joy.

And horror follows. For can it be a ship that

comes onward without wind or tide ?

It seemeth him but the skeleton of a

ship.

And its ribs

are seen as

bars on the

face of the set

ting Sun.

The spectre

As if through a dungeon-grate he peered,
With broad and burning face.

Alas! (thought I, and my heart beat loud)
How fast she nears and nears!

Are those her sails that glance in the Sun,
Like restless gossameres!

Are those her ribs through which the Sun
Did peer, as through a grate?

And is that Woman all her crew?

woman and her Is that a DEATH? and are there two?

death-mate,

and no other on Is DEATH that woman's mate?

board the ske

leton-ship.

like crew!

Like vessel, Her lips were red, her looks were free,
Her locks were yellow as gold;

Her skin was as white as leprosy,

The Night-Mare LIFE-IN-DEATH was she,
Who thicks man's blood with cold.

DEATH, and The naked hulk alongside came,

LIFE-IN

DEATH have And the twain were casting dice ;

diced for the

ship's crew, and she (the latter) winneth

"The game is done! I've, I've won !"

the ancient Quoth she, and whistles thrice.

Mariner.