Humility the Mother of Charity On an Infant which died before Baptism THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER. IN SEVEN PARTS. FACILE credo, plures esse Naturas invisibiles quam visibiles T. BURNET. PART I. It is an ancient Mariner, And he stoppeth one of three. 66 'By thy long grey beard and glittering eye, "The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide, The guests are met, the feast is set: An ancient Mariner meeteth three gallants bidden to a wedding-feast, and detaineth one. The wedding The Mariner tells how the ship sailed southward with a good wind and fair weather, till it reached the line. The wedding guest heareth the bridal music; but He holds him with his skinny hand, "There was a ship,” quoth he. "Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon !" He holds him with his glittering eye- And listens like a three years' child: 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 sun came up upon the left, And he shone bright, and on the right Higher and higher every day, Till over the mast at noon The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, The bride hath paced into the hall, 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 He struck with his o'ertaking wings, With sloping masts 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 Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken- The ice was here, the ice was there, the mariner continueth his tale. The ship drawn by a storm toward the south pole. 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. 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 Mariner inhospitably killeth the pious bird of good omen. It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, At length did cross an Albatross, As if it had been a Christian soul, It ate the food it ne'er had eat, The ice did split with a thunder-fit; And a good south wind sprung up behind; And every day, for food or play, In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, "God save thee, ancient Mariner! From the fiends, that plague thee thus! |