IT is an ancient Mariner, And he stoppeth one of three. "By thy long grey beard and glittering eye, The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide, The guests are met, the feast is set : May'st hear the merry din." He holds him with his skinny hand, "Hold off! unhand me, grey-beard loon!" He holds him with his glittering eye- The Wedding-Guest sat on a stone: And thus spake on that ancient man, * See Note. An ancient Mariner meeteth three gallants bidden to a wedding feast, and detaineth one The Wedding-Guest is spell-bound by the eye of the old seafaring man, and constrained to hear his tale. A "The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared, Merrily did we drop Below the kirk, below the hill, Below the light-house top. The Mariner The sun came up upon the left, tells how the Out of the sea came he! ship sailed southward with a good wind and fair weather, till it reached the line. The Wedding-Guest heareth the bridal music; And he shone bright, and on the right The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, The bride hath paced into the hall, Nodding their heads before her goes but the Ma-' The merry minstrelsy. riner continueth his tale. The ship drawn by a storm toward the south pole. The land of ice, and of fearful soundswhere no living thing was to be seen. The Wedding-Guest he beat his breast, "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 southward aye we fled. 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 ice was all around: It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, |