THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER By: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The Ancient Mariner detains a guest at a wedding party to narrate to him the
story of a strange voyage. The guest, eager to join the wedding festivities,
protests. However, due to the force of his hypnotic personality, compels him to
sit still and listen to his tale of woe (sorrow/misery). The Mariner’s voyage
begins normally and the ship sails southward southward/in a southerly
direction till it reaches the equator. It is then driven by a storm to the region of
perpetual ice/southern polar region. No sign of live is visible there till an
albatross, a large sea bird, appears. Its arrival coincides with the springing up of
a favourable wind and the ship is able to sail northward, out of the iceberg
ridden sea. The albatross is welcomed by the ship’s crew, who feed it and
enjoy its company. It follows the ship for nine days when all of a sudden,
without any apparent cause, the Mariner shoots the bird.
NOTE:
1.Coleridge uses the word ‘ancient’ not merely to signify old age but also to
lend some supernatural charm. Anything that is very old and dates back into
the distant past, has some unearthliness/something supernatural attached to
it.
2. ‘long grey beard’ and ‘glittering eye’ are touches/suggestions of mystery. At
the same time these terms give a vivid/powerful/detailed description of the
old Mariner.
3. ‘glittering eye’ is a mark of sharp intelligence or of great will power which
the Ancient Mariner exerts/exercises over the wedding guest.
4. ‘wherefore … me’ – means why do you detain me?
This is not a mere inquiry but an expression of annoyance, impatience,
nervousness and also a consciousness of some coming mystery yet to be
revealed.
5. The words ‘I am next of kin’ indicate that the wedding guest is very closely
related to the bridegroom, and hence, it is all the more necessary for him to
reach the marriage celebration as soon as possible.
6. ‘And he stoppeth one of three’ – the word/number three has a mystical
significance. Use of odd numbers like three, five, seven and nine, to which
mystical or supernatural significance is attached, is as old as fairy tales and the
Bible. By a kind of mysterious sympathy, the Mariner chooses his listener who
is not a superficial/unimportant character, as he saves the tale from slipping
irrevocably into the world of mystery.
7. This poem is a ballad. The abrupt beginning is characteristic of ballad poetry.
It rivets/fastens our attention on the protagonist (chief character) of the story
without waste of words.
8. Most of the stanzas have four lines called a ‘quatrain’, and aa rhyme
scheme of ABCB, so the second and fourth lines of each stanza rhyme.

Lines 1 to 4 – It is an ancient Mariner, ………. wherefore stopp’st thou me?

An Ancient Mariner stopped one of three guests who were going to attend a
wedding celebration. The guest resented being stopped and asked the Mariner
with a ‘long grey beard and glittering eye’, to tell him why he had been
stopped/kept back/detained.
Lines 5 to 8 – The bridegroom’s doors …………. the merry din.
He was anxious to hurry to the event because he was a close/near relative of
the bridegroom. Moreover, the guests had assembled, the reception had
stated and the feast had been laid out/set.
Lines 9 to 12 – He holds him with …… Eftsoons his hand dropped he.
The Mariner ignored the wedding-guest’s objections, held/caught him by the
hand and abruptly began to narrate his story about a mysterious sea voyage he
had undertaken. Not liking this, the wedding guest angrily called the Mariner a
rascal and demanded that he leave his hand and keep away from him. The
Mariner immediately released his hand.
Lines 13 to 16 – He holds him with his glittering eye ……. hath his will.
What the Ancient Mariner’s hands couldn’t do; his eyes
succeeded/accomplished. Like a true hypnotist, he detained the wedding-guest
by merely looking at him with his glittering eye. The wedding-guest became
spell-bound and with the docility of a three-year child was fascinated into
listening to the Mariner’s story. The change in the wedding-guest’s attitude
was now complete and the Mariner had complete hold/control over him.
Lines 17 to 20 – The wedding guest sat ………. The bright-eyed mariner.
The wedding-guest then sat on a stone. This action of his indicated that he had
completely surrendered to the will of the Ancient Mariner. Though he had
been reluctant to be detained as he was in a hurry to attend the wedding feast,
he was now compelled to sit down and her the Mariner’s story. The bright-
eyed Mariner then continued narrating his story.
Note: ‘bright-eyed’ is a synonym for glittering eye and signifies the uncanny
look and the will power of the Mariner.
Lines 21 to 24 – The ship was cheered, the harbour ………… the lighthouse top.
As the ship set sail/put out to sea, she was merrily cheered and blessed by
friends and relatives who had come to see off and bid farewell to the sailors
and passengers setting off on their sea voyage. The ship sailed out of the
harbour and began to sail with the tide. As it sailed/headed further out into
the open sea, the church, the hill and the lighthouse disappeared from sight
one after another.
Lines 25 to 28 – The sun came up upon the left, …….. Went down into the sea.
The sun rose on the eastern horizon which was on the left side of the ship. This
tells us that the ship was sailing due south. It shone brightly throughout the
day and when evening arrived, it set on the right/in the west. All the while the
ship sailed southward with a favourable wind blowing and fair weather.
Lines 29 to 32 – Higher and higher everyday …………the loud bassoon.
As the ship ploughed/sailed southward towards the equator, the sun rose
higher and higher in the sky, till it shone directly overhead at midday. This
clearly indicates that the ship rapidly approaching/nearing the Equator. At this
point of the narration, the sound of the loud bassoon/bridal music was heard.
This reminded the wedding-guest of the wedding celebration/feast he was
missing and he beat his breast in restlessness and frustration.
Lines 33 to 36 – The bride hath paced into the hall …………The merry minstrelsy.
It was at this moment that the youthful bride had paced into /had entered the
celebration hall. In all her bridal finery, she looked as beautiful as a ed rose.
The ‘merry minstrelsy’/cheerful musicians preceded her as she marched
through the hall, nodding/tossing their heads to the rhythm of their musical
instruments.
‘merry minstrelsy’ – alliteration
Lines 37 to 40 – The wedding guest he beat his …… The bright-eyed mariner.
This verse/stanza is a repetition of lines in the preceding stanza (L 29 -32), as is
typical in the case of ballad poetry.
The wedding-guest once again beat at his breast in frustration. However, he
felt helpless and was compelled to continue listening to the mystic/mysterious
narrative of the bright-eyed mariner.
Lines 41 to 44 – And now the storm blast came, and he …………us south along.
The Ancient Mariner’s ship/vessel then ran into/encountered a violent storm.
This storm was so and powerful and violent/tyrannous strong that its winds
raged ferociously and drove the ship southward, towards the south pole.
‘He struck with his o’ertaking wings’ – This is an instance of personification.
The storm is described as a bird of prey, hunting down its game/kill.
Lines 45 to 50 – With sloping masts and dipping ……. southward aye we fled.
In this verse (6 lines), we see how the ship progresses in the storm.
The ship rose and fell with each stormy wave it encountered. As it
descended/rode the crest (top) of every stormy wave, its mast bent forward,
giving the impression that it was fleeing before a cruel pursuer. With this
rocking motion, the ship was driven incessantly by the violent winds further
south, towards the south pole.
1. prow – the front part of a ship or bow of a ship
2. ‘with yell and blow’ – with shouts and threats of violence, and blows
because the ship is being violently buffeted/struck by the wind.
3. ‘Still treads the shadow of his foe’ – The ship is so relentlessly pursued by
the violent storm (the enemy) that its shadow is said to fall on the fleeing ship
(the victim).
4. ‘aye’ – all the time/while
Lines 51 to 54 – And now there came both mist and ….. As green as emerald.
Soon the ship was engulfed in mist and snow and it became exceedingly/
‘wonderous’ cold. Huge icebergs, bright green in colour, and as high the ship’s
mast were seen floating/drifting by.The ship had finally entered the southern
polar region, the land of extreme cold, mist and snow.
As green as emerald – an example of a simile. The colour of the icebergs were
as green as emeralds.
Lines 55 to 58 – And through the drifts the snowy clifts ….. ice was all between.
The ship then sailed through powerful gusts of wind and rain mixed with
snow(drifts) and carefully navigated through openings between the snow-
capped icebergs (snowy clifts), which cast a fearful/frightening and gloomy
‘sheen’/brightness all around. Neither any human nor animal life was
visible/discernible anywhere in their vicinity. They were totally surrounded on
all sided by ice.

Lines 59 to 62 – The ice was here, the ice was …… Like noises in a swound.
The Ancient Mariner and his fellow sailors/crewmen found themselves
surrounded by large floating masses of ice/icebergs. As these masses of
ice/icebergs rubbed/ground against one another, they emitted/gave off fierce
cracking and growling, roaring and howling sounds, which resembled the
sounds one hears when one is in a fainting fit or lapsing/passing gradually into
a state of unconsciousness.
1.‘noises in a swound’ – The icebergs/masses of floating ice have been
personified. They seem to be making cracking, growling, roaring and howling
sounds as they ground against each other like animated creatures.
2. ‘Like noises in a swound’ – The word ‘swound’ is archaic (very old/obsolete)
for swoon or fainting fit. This line adds to the supernatural atmosphere of the
scene.
3. ‘It cracked and growled and roared and howled’ – This is an example of
onomatopoeia in which the sound signifies the sense. The sound of cracking
and growling, roaring and howling gives the readers an exact picture of the
icebergs rubbing/grinding against each other.
Lines 63 to 66 – At length did cross an albatross, ……. In God’s name.
After a long time, an albatross was spotted/observed approaching the ship
through the dense fog/mist. The crew of the ship/mariners heartily welcomed
this bird in their midst and treated it as if it were a human being with divine
associations/connections. They considered the arrival of the albatross
auspicious and welcomed/hailed it with great joy and hospitality.
Lines 67 to 70 – It ate the food it ne’er had eat, …….. steered us through!
The albatross behaved very curiously as far as its food habits and movement
were concerned. It ate/consumed food offered to it by the sailors, and hence
the food it was fed by the sailors, was something it had never eaten before.
The albatross remained with the ship, flying around it. As it flew around the
ship, the huge icebergs that entrapped the ship began to split up/break up
with a thunderous sound/noise. With the breaking up of the ice, the helmsman
was finally able to safely steer the ship through the floating icebergs that had
entrapped it.
Note: 1. ‘As if it had been a Christian soul’ – Superstitious sailors treat sea-birds
as the souls of the dead.
2. The albatross brings luck to the Mariner and his companions/fellow sailors.
The mariners felt sure that it was because of the arrival/appearance of the
albatross that that the ice began to split, enabling the ship to progress on its
journey once again. The bird was thus considered to be a good omen.
This is of course a superstitious belief which adds to the supernatural
atmosphere of the poem.
71 to 74 Lines – And a good south wind sprung ………. the mariner’s hollo.
A favourable/strong south wind began to blow from behind the ship, driving it
northward. The albatross still faithfully followed the ship, and every day,
whenever the sailors called out to it to either feed it or entertain them, it
immediately responded to their call.
hollo – an onomatopoeic word, meaning ‘call’
Lines 75 to 78 – In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, ……The white moon shine.
For nine days the albatross accompanied the ship as it sailed northward
through mist and or cloud. For nine mystical evenings, it perched itself on
either the ship’s mast or its shroud when it was time for the evening prayer to
be recited. During each of these nine nights, as the ship journeyed northward,
the bright moonlight shone/glimmered down on the sea through dense mist,
which looked like thick white smoke.
Note – 1. Shroud – In the poem it means the ropes from the mast head
fastened to a ship’s side.
It also means the winding sheet/cloth for a dead body.
2. Nine is a mystic number like 3, 7, 13, etc. This helps to add to the
supernatural atmosphere of the scene.
3. ‘Vespers’ is usually used for ‘evening prayer’. The bird is associated with
divinity.
Lines 79 to 82 – God save thee, ancient mariner! …… I shot the albatross.
In the last stanza, the wedding guest, taken aback/surprised by the look of
pain/horror on the Ancient Mariner’s face, interrupted the narration and asked
him the reason for it. Moreover, he realised that the Mariner seemed to be
plagued/tortured by an extremely guilty conscience for something evil he had
done.
The Ancient Mariner, unable to say much, abruptly confessed to the wedding
guest that it was at that particular time of the story/voyage that he had so
wantonly/wickedly and deliberately shot/killed the albatross with his cross-
bow.
Note – 1. The Ancient Mariner’s tortured face/countenance and conscience are
due to the sin he had committed by killing the albatross, which he admits to in
the last two lines of this part of the poem.
2. The Ancient Mariner very dramatically and briefly describes the climax of the
story, namely the killing of the albatross. Thus, this section ends with the
wanton killing of the bird of good omen.