The rime of the Ancient Mariner

The rime of the Ancient Mariner

There was an old mariner who stopped one man from a group of three. "Why do you stop me with your long grey beard and your keen eyes?

The doors of the bride's house are already opened, and I'm a close relates; the guests are arrived, the party is begun: can't you hear the happy row?"

The mariner held him with his very thin hands and said: "There was a ship . ". But soon the guest tried to leave him: "Hold off! Get away, you old fool!

The old one held the guest again with his hypnotic eyes and the man stayed, and listened like a very young kid: the mariner had caught his attention.

The guest sat on a stone and he cannot do without hearing; and then the bright-eyed mariner began to tell his story to the guest.

"The ship had left the docks, the port was left in a happily way. We passed near by the church, below the hill, below the lighthouse top.

"The Sun (personification of JUSTICE) appeared at our left, he came out of the sea. And he shone bright, and then he wen down to the sea on our right."

They sailed a lot till they reached the Line.

When the guest heard the bridal music he wanted to go away, but the mariner went on with his story.

"Then the Storm (personification of ENEMY) came in a strong a tyrannous way, and he pushed us south along.

"The masts of the ship were sloping and the prow was sinking; the ship itself was sailing fast chased by wind; but suddenly the wind stopped, the roar became less loud and we found ourselves at the South Pole.

"And here we found fog and snow, and a wonder and unusual cold; and ice, ice everywhere, green as emerald.

"The snowy hills shone with a depressing light and there was no men and no animals; the ice covered everything crackling and roaring."

Then a great albatross (personification of SPIRIT GUIDE) appeared in the sky and the companionship received it with great joy. Suddenly the wind begun to blow and it pushed the ship from behind, as the albatross carried it. But the mariner shot the bird and killed it (=action AGAINST NATUTRE with no reason at all irrationality of crime).

"The Sun now rose again, he came out of the sea still hidden by mist and again he went down into the sea on the left.

"The good wind from behind still blew the sails but no bird was following us. And there was neither food nor joy on the ship.

"I had done a hellish thing, and it would cause pain. To all the mariners I was the damned one who killed the holy bird that made the breeze blow."

But when the fog went away they damned him no more, and justified him (this made'em ACCOMPLICIES in the crime).

"The good breeze blew, the ship sailed well; we were the first to arrive at that silent sea (the Pacific Ocean).

"But suddenly the wind stopped, the sails drop down, and I and my fellows were all terrified by that silence, and tried to break it talking.

"We were under a hot and copper sky, and the little bloody Sun stayed upon us (the Judge is furious).

"Day after day we were always in the same place, as stuck as in a painting.

"There was only water around us, but all the woods of the ship were dry, and we had nothing to drink.

"The sea was rot and . oh my God . it could not be! But slimy creatures were crawling in the sea.

"Death-fires were dancing mad at night, and the sea seemed like green, blue and white oil."

A Spirit had followed them; not an angel, nor a ghost but one of the inhabitants of Nature.

"Oh my God! My mates had evil looks on me, they throw all the guilt on me, an in sign of my sin, they hung the Albatross around my neck".

While the ship is still stuck and haunted in the middle of the ocean, a phantom ship appeared with two ghosts on it: Death & Life in death (with medieval features). They were casting dice to establish which of them had to take the mariner's soul or the souls of the others.

Death won the crew and they suddenly died. The ancient mariner remained there for 7 days and 7 nights becoming quite mad. Every element of Nature was against him.

At this very moment of the story the guest feared the old man 'cause he thought he was a talking ghost. But the ancient mariner assured him he was not and proceeded on his tale:

"I was alone in the wide sea with my agony, and no saint took pity on me.

"The men were all died and all those terrible creatures in the sea could live with me.

"I looked upon the rotting sea and upon the deck, but everywhere there were only images of decay.

"I looked above the sky and tried to pray, but before doing it a immoral thought came to me and made my heart dry".

He felt observed by the corps and he could not stand this situation . he thought there was a curse on him.

Although his life was lonely the Stars and the Moon (=FORGIVENESS) were still shining in the sky, and they reached every night their home with a silent JOY.

"Beyond the shadow of the ship I watched those snakes; they were moving in shining white paths and when they came out of the water they were illumined by a magic light, as the foam they did diving.

"Within the shadow of the ship I watched their nice appearance: they were blue green and black, and every track they did swimming was of golden fire.

"Oh happy living things! They now seemed to me as beautiful creatures, only love could come out from my heart and I blessed them. Now surely a saint was having mercy on me.

"At that very moment I could pray and from my neck the albatross fell down, and sank into the sea".

It began raining (=new baptism) and a troop of angels came down from the sky and entered into the bodies of the others mariners making them alive.

Now the old mariner felt uneasy with his living fellows because of his remorse, it was as they were haunting him. Then a boat came close to their ship: there were two persons on it: the pilot and a hermit (=CONFESSOR). The mariner had to pass on that boat and in this very moment all the crew on the ship died again, and the ship sank. So the mariner could be brung to the shore. His penance was to tell his story to everyone he met.

"Good-bye my guest! I have to tell you this: you have to love both man and beast,

"Both great things and small! Because dear God loves us and He made and loves all".

Then the mariner went away, with his bright eyes and his long beard, and the Wedding-guest entered the house of the bride.

He was upset and shocked, sadder but wiser.