the ship's crew, and And the twain were casting dice;
she (the latter) win
'The game is done! I've won! I've won!'
neth the ancient
Mariner. Quoth she, and whistles thrice. No twilight within The Sun's rim dips; the stars rush out:
the courts of the sun.
At one stride comes the dark;
With far-heard whisper, o'er the sea,
Off shot the spectre-bark.2
AtMoon, the rising of the We listened and looked sideways up! Fear at my heart, as at a cup,
My life-blood seemed to sip!
The stars were dim, and thick the night,
The steersman's face by his lamp gleamed white;
8. Benefit. 1. Large ship. 9. Filmy cobwebs floating in the air. 2. Ghost ship.
.
43 6 / SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE
One after another,
His shipmates drop down dead.
B?t Life-tn-Death
begins her work onthe ancient Mariner.
The wedding guest feareth that a spirit is talking to him.
But the ancient Mariner assureth him of his bodily life, and proceedeth to relate his horrible penance.
He despiseth the
creatures of the
calm,
And envieth that they should live, and so many lie dead.
From the sails the dew did drip?
Till clomh above the eastern bar
The horned Moon, with one bright star
Within the nether tip.3 One after one, by the star-dogged Moon,
Too quick for groan or sigh,
Each turned his face with a ghastly pang,
And cursed me with his eye. Four times fifty living men,
(And I heard nor sigh nor groan)
With heavy thump, a lifeless lump,
They dropped down one by one.
The souis jjj f rom their bodies fly,?
J
They fled to DUSS Or WOe!
And every soul, it passed me by,
Like the whizz of my cross-bow!
Part 4
'I fear thee, ancient Mariner!
I fear thy skinny hand!
And thou art long, and lank, and brown,
As is the ribbed 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 a wide wide sea!
