THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINERE READING FOUR

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THE RIME OF THE ANCYENT MARINERE  READING FOUR







Four times fifty living men,

    With never a sigh or groan,

With heavy thump, a lifeless lump

    They dropp’d down one by one.

 

Their souls did from their bodies fly,—

    They fled to bliss or woe;

And every soul it pass’d me by,

    Like the whiz of my Cross-bow.

 

1V

"I fear thee, ancyent Marinere!
"I fear thy skinny hand;
"And thou art long and lank and brown
"As is the ribb'd Sea-sand.

"I fear thee and thy glittering eye
"And thy skinny hand so brown—
Fear not, fear not, thou wedding guest!
This body dropt not down.

Alone, alone, all all alone
Alone on the wide wide Sea;
And Christ would take no pity on
My soul in agony.

The many men so beautiful,
And they all dead did lie!
And a million million slimy things
Liv'd on—and so did I.

I look'd upon the rotting Sea,
And drew my eyes away;
I look'd upon the eldritch deck,
And there the dead men lay.

I look'd to Heaven, and try'd to pray;
But or ever a prayer had gusht,
A wicked whisper came and made
My heart as dry as dust.

I clos'd my lids and kept them close,
Till the balls like pulses beat;
For the sky and the sea, and the sea and the sky
Lay like a load on my weary eye,
And the dead were at my feet.

The cold sweat melted from their limbs,
Ne rot, ne reek did they;
The look with which they look'd on me,
Had never pass'd away.

An orphan's curse would drag to Hell
A spirit from on high:
But O! more horrible than that
Is the curse in a dead man's eye!
Seven days, seven nights I saw that curse,
And yet I could not die.

The moving Moon went up the sky
And no where did abide:
Softly she was going up
And a star or two beside—

Her beams bemock'd the sultry main
Like morning frosts yspread;
But where the ship's huge shadow lay,
The charmed water burnt alway
A still and awful red.

Beyond the shadow of the ship
I watch'd the water-snakes:
They mov'd in tracks of shining white;
And when they rear'd, the elfish light
Fell off in hoary flakes.

Within the shadow of the ship
I watch'd their rich attire:
Blue, glossy green, and velvet black
They coil'd and swam; and every track
Was a flash of golden fire.

O happy living things! no tongue
Their beauty might declare:
A spring of love gusht from my heart,
And I bless'd them unaware!
Sure my kind saint took pity on me,
And I bless'd them unaware.

The self-same moment I could pray;
And from my neck so free
The Albatross fell off, and sank
Like lead into the sea.

 


READERS’ VERSION

 

 

 

 

Four times fifty living men,            

                      With never a sigh or groan,   ELIZABETH

With heavy thump, a lifeless lump

    They dropp’d down one by one.

 

Their souls did from their bodies fly,—

                       They fled to bliss or woe;   ELIZABETH

And every soul it pass’d me by,

    Like the whiz of my Cross-bow.

 

1V

"I fear thee, ancyent Marinere!
            "I fear thy skinny hand;         LIZ
"And thou art long and lank and brown
"As is the ribb'd Sea-sand.

"I fear thee and thy glittering eye
"And thy skinny hand so brown—     LIZ
Fear not, fear not, thou wedding guest!
This body dropt not down.

Alone, alone, all all alone
                   Alone on the wide wide Sea;   BARBARA
And Christ would take no pity on
My soul in agony.

The many men so beautiful,
                   And they all dead did lie!        ANGIE
And a million million slimy things
Liv'd on—and so did I.

I look'd upon the rotting Sea,
                And drew my eyes away;        PAUL
I look'd upon the eldritch deck,
And there the dead men lay.

I look'd to Heaven, and try'd to pray;
                 But or ever a prayer had gusht,         PAUL
A wicked whisper came and made
My heart as dry as dust.


I clos'd my lids and kept them close,
                             Till the balls like pulses beat;                     SUE
For the sky and the sea, and the sea and the sky
Lay like a load on my weary eye,
And the dead were at my feet.

The cold sweat melted from their limbs,
                     Ne rot, ne reek did they;       ROSEMARY
The look with which they look'd on me,
Had never pass'd away.

An orphan's curse would drag to Hell
               A spirit from on high:     DAMIEN
But O! more horrible than that
Is the curse in a dead man's eye!
Seven days, seven nights I saw that curse,
And yet I could not die.

The moving Moon went up the sky
And no where did abide:
             Softly she was going up    ANGIE
And a star or two beside—

Her beams bemock'd the sultry main
                   Like morning frosts yspread;    MARY
But where the ship's huge shadow lay,
The charmed water burnt alway
A still and awful red.


 

Beyond the shadow of the ship
              I watch'd the water-snakes:    Kate
They mov'd in tracks of shining white;
And when they rear'd, the elfish light
Fell off in hoary flakes.

Within the shadow of the ship
                      I watch'd their rich attire:  CATHERINE
Blue, glossy green, and velvet black
They coil'd and swam; and every track
Was a flash of golden fire.

O happy living things! no tongue
                                 Their beauty might declare:    JANET

A spring of love gusht from my heart,
And I bless'd them unaware!
Sure my kind saint took pity on me,
And I bless'd them unaware.

The self-same moment I could pray;
                              And from my neck so free         ELIZABETH
The Albatross fell off, and sank
Like lead into the sea.

 

 

 

 

 

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