| Post/Author/DateTime | Post |
|---|---|
| Dugar07-23-05, 05:05 PM | I doubt I'm the only one that doesn't want to write a new poem each time their bard has to inspire courage or whatever, so if you have a short poem you've found or created that works for D&D, post it (and be sure to source who wrote it). 1) The Call (France, August first, 1914) (only a stanza from it) Far and near, high and clear, Hark to the call of War! Over the gorse and the golden dells, Ringing and swinging of clamorous bells, Praying and saying of wild farewells: War! War! War! 2) Untitled By Dugar It does not smell like battle yet, But soon the scent of blood will reek Their limbs will land amongst the sweat, Until they cower, tamed and meek |
| JLP07-23-05, 06:52 PM | "Tim, Tim, Benzedrine! Hash! Boo! Valvoline! Clean! Clean! Clean for Gene! First, second, neutral, park, Hie thee hence, you leafy narc!" |
| Rohano07-24-05, 12:05 AM | After Visiting the Fields of Waterloo by William Wordsworth A WINGED Goddess--clothed in vesture wrought Of rainbow colours; One whose port was bold, Whose overburthened hand could scarcely hold The glittering crowns and garlands which it brought-- Hovered in air above the far-famed Spot. She vanished; leaving prospect blank and cold Of wind-swept corn that wide around us rolled In dreary billows; wood, and meagre cot, And monuments that soon must disappear: Yet a dread local recompence we found; While glory seemed betrayed, while patriot-zeal Sank in our hearts, we felt as men 'should' feel With such vast hoards of hidden carnage near, And horror breathing from the silent ground! And here's another good one, but it's really long, so I'm posting a link to another page hosting the poem: http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/trierma.htm |
| Rohano07-24-05, 12:13 AM | (Stupid Internet) |
| Dugar08-06-05, 12:42 PM | Untitled By Dugar Pity the grave robbers Who find what’s left of you Viewing my leftovers Will induce them to spew |
| rbrt_Spade08-06-05, 01:11 PM | use ones from fantasy books-dl,fr,lotr |
| Dugar08-06-05, 01:14 PM | Spade: I don't own any. Untitled By Dugar My god demands justice. Your life is sacrifice. Yield or attempt to flee. Either way, fun for me. |
| rbrt_Spade08-06-05, 01:28 PM | click here to look for poems..... (http://www.dogpile.com) the dl nexus has poems/epics for fantasy to use (http://www.dl3e.com) |
| Dugar11-26-05, 12:34 PM | Untitled By Dugar You will have lost control, as I release your soul. I will toy with your shell, as I send you to hell. |
| Dugar11-26-05, 01:15 PM | Untitled By Dugar I do know what you are thinking. as I have died before. It is true your life was wasted. Please don't come back for more. |
| Fargren11-26-05, 01:28 PM | http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/15666078/ Words of the nameless warrior :D |
| Dugar11-26-05, 01:40 PM | Untitled By Dugar Do not waste this moment for it will be your last Do not fix on torment It is your final blast Untitled By Dugar I warn thee friends. Do not resist. Accept your ends. Don't make me ******. |
| Pippa11-26-05, 04:27 PM | "Tim, Tim, Benzedrine! Hash! Boo! Valvoline! Clean! Clean! Clean for Gene! First, second, neutral, park, Hie thee hence, you leafy narc!" "Bored Of The Rings", innit? |
| BlaineTog11-26-05, 07:34 PM | Just read excerpts from Allen Ginsberg's "Howl." |
| Pippa11-27-05, 07:52 AM | Quoting is fine, but making your own poems, tailored to the situation or characters are way finer. That is, if you're not too hard to please. Still I think a moderate poem of your own might be as good as something a professional wrote, because of the greater personal value. Let's see what I can dig up: _______________________________ "Eyes be watchful Feet be steady Ears be keen and arm be ready Swift be thoughts and clear be mind Heart leave doubt and fear behind We know concealed behind this door Is what destiny has for us in store This way we go, this way we must It is in courage that we now trust." _______________________________ This one fits my reckless gnome girl well: _______________________________ "Proud is the monarch, Haughty the knave You say I'm foolish I 'd say I 'm brave." _______________________________ "Adventuring": _______________________________ "A Light in the Darkness And Balance through Strife Strength despite Weakness Is what I seek in life" _______________________________ Of this love-duet I 'm rather proud: _______________________________ He: -”What is it that makes you so beautiful, maiden mine? The grace of your strides, that fragrance of thine? The warmth of your skin, the gleam of your hair? Dear maiden mine, what makes you so fair?” She: -”Fairer than sun and moon is of course the light in my eyes a reflection of yours they're brighter than Brightness, more lovely, too Let my eyes a mirror be, to the Light you shine on me.” _______________________________ Hmm, the next one I wrote as a love-poem as well, but I find it more fitting for deep-rooted friendship after all. There's a partymember my character greatly relies on: _______________________________ “By the light I know the day; when all turns stark in nightly dark I call on you and night will sway. By night you shed a golden ray: I'll call on you and dark will sway.” _______________________________ More love still: _______________________________ "I say: you are truly unique For me you are the high mountain peak dressed in snow and in the hues of eve; You are my home I am not willing to leave. You are the heavens, the seas and the dew I am the marveler who marvels at you You are the light on my face; you are my fate that I embrace." _______________________________ And this is one for a roaming bard singing about his way of life: _______________________________ "Ever yonder, thither I go what lies beyond the mountains? I long to know Ever yonder, further until the heavens collapse I will not stand still. Seas have held me, rivers have carried me the roads and the fields have suffered my trot my restless soul chases my feet ever onward where they will lead me to I know not. Ever yonder, thither I go what lies beyond the mountains? I long to know Ever yonder, further until the heavens collapse I will not stand still. I've slept in palaces, I've slept in mud both misery and joy I have had on my way cold mountain-peaks as well as sweet dale-lands that is the price with both hands I would pay. Ever yonder, thither I go what lies beyond the mountains? I long to know Ever yonder, further until the heavens collapse I will not stand still. I will not, I will not stand still!" |
| I_Strahd11-27-05, 02:16 PM | to the bard in everyone. no title the way the sounds come from thier bones. hit by many stones. taking thier skin and showing it to thier kin. watching them burn makes me yern. taking thier voice box and keeping it with my socks. smashing thier lute on thier foot. dropping a piano on thier head to see them finally dead. i love bards. |
| Doomed_Penguin11-27-05, 02:26 PM | Billy was a chemist, But now Billy is no more, For what he thought was H2O, Was H2SO4 |
| Dugar11-28-05, 11:03 AM | I love that poem Strahd. |
| I_Strahd11-28-05, 08:51 PM | I love that poem Strahd. squish. ish. thats the finish. |
| Callahan11-28-05, 09:18 PM | Billy was a chemist, But now Billy is no more, For what he thought was H2O, Was H2SO4 ripping off Carlton... how sad :nonono: |
| Araspas11-28-05, 09:52 PM | Overheard while sneaking up on an encampment of Orcs in the Dark Hills... OH! Gag up his mouth and tie him up right And bring me a pot full of lard! Truss up the sot Set the fire alight and dunk him 'til he's charred For tonight we eat right by soft moonlight tonight it's crispy fried bard! OH! We don't have no ale to wash him down and he may be a wee bit thin but at least when he's done bubblin' and cookin' there will be no more singin' OH! Gag up his mouth and tie him up right And bring me a pot full of lard! Truss up the sot Set the fire alight and dunk him 'til he's charred For tonight we eat right by soft moonlight tonight it's crispy fried bard! ========================= Actually, I rather like playing Bards when there is a sizable city in which to ply my trade and to gather information, etc. Dungeons, however, are a different story... What say you? |
| Ned the Normal11-29-05, 12:39 AM | When the time does come to run away follow the coward he'll show you the way -Fobien, the perpetually scared (excrement)less |
| I_Strahd11-29-05, 01:18 AM | When the time does come to run away follow the coward he'll show you the way -Fobien, the perpetually scared (excrement)less is that by a bard or to a bard. i hope its to a bard. they run and cower so they can tell the story thier way. they eat dirt and poop out song and dance, just like duran duran. sorry to all duran duran fans. i know its bad to put them in the same catagory. |
| Caemin Pah11-29-05, 09:21 AM | There once was a man from Nantucket.... Wait would that be inappropriate? LMAO, sorry, I couldnt resist. **Bows head in shame** |
| Araspas12-02-05, 09:03 AM | Just a thought - Can Bards sing a song to aid thier fellow adventurers in thier attempt to move silently? If so, does the singing count against the bards attempt to move silently? And what if others decide to hum along with this jaunty little ditty about creeping about? Still silent? Then there's the instruments...OH! The instruments! Is it possible to play a lute in such a fashion that the sleeping dragon in the next room won't wake to discover the Rogue (whom the Bard's song is designed to encourage) trying to disarm the trap on the lock of the biggest chest of dragon horde? OK. Now my head hurts. Here's one for a good pre-battle pepping up - (it's a bit human-centric but it works) ========================= (all clapping in time) There was a day e'er I was born when the dragons and the men lived in peace and shared this land from the mountains to the fen I've heard tales of those days from those who say 'twas so but now I leap into dragons jaws to a fiery death I go So sing good tales about me for blood and ash I shall be since 'tis my end my lovers tend and raise a flagon to me Hazzah!!! =========================== What say you? |
| I_Strahd12-02-05, 08:11 PM | Just a thought - Can Bards sing a song to aid thier fellow adventurers in thier attempt to move silently? If so, does the singing count against the bards attempt to move silently? And what if others decide to hum along with this jaunty little ditty about creeping about? Still silent? Then there's the instruments...OH! The instruments! Is it possible to play a lute in such a fashion that the sleeping dragon in the next room won't wake to discover the Rogue (whom the Bard's song is designed to encourage) trying to disarm the trap on the lock of the biggest chest of dragon horde? OK. Now my head hurts. Here's one for a good pre-battle pepping up - (it's a bit human-centric but it works) ========================= (all clapping in time) There was a day e'er I was born when the dragons and the men lived in peace and shared this land from the mountains to the fen I've heard tales of those days from those who say 'twas so but now I leap into dragons jaws to a fiery death I go So sing good tales about me for blood and ash I shall be since 'tis my end my lovers tend and raise a flagon to me Hazzah!!! =========================== What say you? aaah... aaah. what. (as beavis and butthead would say.) look at my sig. |
| Gaia12-23-05, 10:18 PM | Ride through the valley in thunder and rain The battle is raging, redeem this domain The castle of eden lies silent above Darkness surrounded us, away we must go Enter the battle, our will to enchain Bringing us forward, defeating the pain Into the meeting with swords made of steel We’re standing together the secret reveals Above the glory we’ll carry on Now the time has come to return back home The setting sun illuminates the dead The battlefield field is shining red Silent lies eden on top of the moor We’re fighting with honor protecting our lord The last one survivor lies bleeding. I kneel Into his heart I settle the steel "The dragon lies bleeding", By Hammerfall |
| Gaia12-23-05, 10:35 PM | Algalord arise, greater than before Time of peace, not of war Shouts of freedom from the castle's walls Freedom in the land and hope for all From the rocky mountains to the golden sea To the barbarians' sacred hills From the icy north and misty lakes To the walls of Seth and elvish plains There was only one who knew the way He lived in the dark, lonely caves The demon of the night could save the day Should they take a chance or run away "Unholy Warcry" By Rhapsody |
| Gaia12-23-05, 11:00 PM | Crownless again shall be the queen Trophy on her grave still remains unseen A boat on the river confessing the sins The Riddler revealing the deep hidden things Crownless again shall be the king A gull covered in oil with a broken wing A hitcher on a road alone and lost Iron sharpens iron - a truth that once was Mine is the Earth and the sword in the stone Mine is the throne for the idol One fleeting moment and it is all gone Crownless again, will I fall? "Crownless" Over the hills and far away, she prays he will return one day. As sure as the rivers reach the seas, back in his arms he swears she'll be Over the hills and far away, he swears he will return one day. far from the mountains and the seas, back in her arms is where he'll be "Over the hills and far away" Both are by Nightwish |
| Gaia12-23-05, 11:39 PM | [url]Mago de Oz rules!!! :thumbsup: |
| Novacat12-24-05, 01:34 AM | There once was a man from Nantucket.... You beat me to it. |
| Adrez Nesnsid11-09-06, 07:21 PM | How about the "Sir Robin" song from Monty Python and the Holy Grail Bravely bold sir Robin, rode forth from Camelot He was not afraid to die Oh! Brave Sir Robin He was not at all afraid to be killed in nasty ways Brave brave brave brave Sir Robin He was not in the least bit scared to be mashed into a pulp! Or to have his eyes gouged out, and his elbows broken, To have his kneecaps split and his body burned away and his limbs all hacked and mangled, Brave Sir Robin And his head smashed in and his heart cut out And his liver removed ] and his bowels unplugged And his nostrils raped and his bottom burned off And his... ...Brave Sir Robin ran away! Bravely ran away, away! When Danger reared its ugly head He bravely truned his tail and fled Yes Brave Sir Robin turned about and gallantly he chickened out Bravely taking to his feet He beat a very brave retreat the bravest of the brave! Sir Robin... |
| freedeath11-09-06, 07:33 PM | "There once was a girl named Alice who used a dynamite stick..... I think that's all the COC will permit..... Oh poop, this isn't the first limerick posted.... |
| SirCaran11-09-06, 11:36 PM | Minstral Boy old folk song The minstrel boy to the war is gone, In the ranks of death you'll find him; His father's sword he hath girded on, And his wild harp slung behind him; "Land of Song!" cried the warrior bard, "Tho' all the world betrays thee, One sword, at least, thy right shall guard, One faithful harp shall praise thee!" The Minstrel fell! But the foeman's steel Could not bring that proud soul under; The harp he lov'd ne'er spoke again, For he tore its chords asunder; And said "No chains shall sully thee, Thou soul of love and brav'ry! Thy songs were made for the pure and free They shall never sound in slavery! |
| supernerd22211-10-06, 03:35 PM | The rime of the ancient mariner Samuel Coleridge Handily in an Sblock. It is an ancyent Marinere, And he stoppeth one of three: "By thy long grey beard and thy glittering eye "Now wherefore stoppest me? The bridegroom's doors are open'd wide "And I am next of kin; "The Guests are met, the Feast is set,-- "May'st hear the merry din. But still he holds the wedding-guest-- There was a Ship, quoth he-- "Nay, if thou'st got a laughsome tale, "Marinere! come with me." He holds him with his skinny hand, Quoth he, there was a Ship-- "Now get thee hence, thou grey-beard Loon! "Or my Staff shall make thee skip. He holds him with his glittering eye-- The wedding guest stood still And listens like a three year's child; The Marinere hath his will. The wedding-guest sate on a stone, He cannot chuse but hear: And thus spake on that ancyent man, The bright-eyed Marinere. The Ship was cheer'd, the Harbour clear'd-- Merrily did we drop Below the Kirk, below the Hill, Below the Light-house top. The Sun came up upon the left, Out of the Sea came he: And he shone bright, and on the right Went down into the Sea. Higher and Higher every day, Till over the mast at noon-- The wedding-guest here beat his breast, For he heard the loud bassoon. The Bride hath pac'd into the Hall, Red as a rose is she; Nodding their heads before her goes The merry Minstralsy. The wedding-guest he beat his breast Yet he cannot chuse but hear: And thus spake on that ancyent Man, The bright-eyed Marinere. Listen, Stranger! Storm and Wind, A Wind and Tempest strong! For days and weeks it play'd us freaks-- Like Chaff we drove along. Listen, Stranger! Mist and Snow, And it grew wond'rous cauld: And Ice mast-high came floating by As green as Emerauld. And thro' the drifts the snowy clifts Did send a dismal sheen; Ne shapes of men ne beasts we ken-- The Ice was all between. The Ice was here, the Ice was there, The Ice was all around: It crack'd and growl'd, and roar'd and howl'd-- Like noises of a swound. At length did cross an Albatross, Thorough the Fog it came; And an it were a Christian Soul, We hail'd it in God's name. The Marineres gave it biscuit-worms, And round and round it flew: The Ice did split with a thunder-fit; The Helmsman steer'd us thro'. And a good south wind sprung up behind, The Albatross did follow; And every day for food or play Came to the Marinere's hollo! In mist or cloud on mast or shroud It perch'd for vespers nine, Whiles all the night thro' [fog-smoke white] Glimmer'd the white moon-shine. "God save thee, ancyent Marinere! "From the fiends that plague thee thus-- "Why look'st thou so?"--with my cross bow I shot the Albatross. II. The Sun came up upon the right, Out of the Sea came he; And broad as a weft upon the left Went down into the Sea. And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet Bird did follow Ne any day for food or play Came to the Marinere's hollo! And I had done an hellish thing And it would work 'em woe; For all averr'd, I had kill'd the Bird That made the Breeze to blow. Ne dim ne red, like God's own head, The glorious Sun uprist: Then all averr'd, I had kill'd the Bird That brought the fog and mist. T'was right, said they, such birds to slay That bring the fog and mist. The breezes blew, the white foam flew, The furrow follow'd free: We were the first that ever burst Into that silent Sea. Down dropt the breeze, the Sails dropt down, 'Twas sad as sad could be And we did speak only to break The silence of the Sea. All in a hot and copper sky The bloody sun at noon, Right up above the mast did stand, No bigger than the moon. Day after day, day after day, We stuck, ne breath ne motion, As idle as a painted Ship Upon a painted Ocean. Water, water every where And all the boards did shrink; Water, water every where, Ne any drop to drink. The very deeps did rot: O Christ! That ever this should be! Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs Upon the slimy Sea. About, about, in reel and rout The Death-fires danc'd at night; The water, like a witch's oils, Burnt green and blue and white. And some in dreams assured were Of the Spirit that plagued us so: Nine fathom deep he had follow'd us From the Land of Mist and Snow. And every tongue thro' utter drouth Was wither'd at the root; We could not speak no more than if We had been choked with soot. Ah wel-a-day! what evil looks Had I from old and young; Instead of the Cross the Albatross About my neck was hung. III. I saw a something in the Sky No bigger than my fist; At first it seem'd a little speck And then it seem'd a mist: It mov'd and mov'd, and took at last A certain shape, I wist. A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist! And still it ner'd and ner'd; And, an it dodged a water-sprite, It plung'd and tack'd and veer'd. With throat unslack'd, with black lips bak'd Ne could we laugh, ne wail: Then while thro' drouth all dumb they stood I bit my arm and suck'd the blood And cry'd, A sail! A sail! With throat unslack'd, with black lips bak'd Agape they hear'd me call: Gramercy! they for joy did grin And all at once their breath drew in As they were drinking all. She doth not tack from side to side-- Hither to work us weal Withouten wind, withouten tide She steddies with upright keel. The western wave was all a flame, The day was well nigh done! Almost upon the western wave Rested the broad bright Sun; When that strange shape drove suddenly Betwixt us and the Sun. And strait the Sun was fleck'd with bars (Heaven's mother send us grace) As if thro' a dungeon grate he peer'd With broad and burning face. Alas! (thought I, and my heart beat loud) How fast she neres and neres! Are those her sails that glance in the Sun Like restless gossameres? Are th[e]se her naked ribs, which fleck'd The sun that did behind them peer? And are th[e]se two all, all the crew, That woman and her fleshless Pheere? His bones were black with many a crack, All black and bare, I ween; Jet-black and bare, save where with rust Of mouldy damps and charnel crust They're patch'd with purple and green. Her lips are red, her looks are free, Her locks are yellow as gold: Her skin is white as leprosy, And she is far liker Death than he; Her flesh makes the still air cold. The naked Hulk alongside came And the Twain were playing dice; "The Game is done! I've won, I've won!" Quoth she, and whistled thrice. A gust of wind sterte up behind And whistled thro' his bones; Thro' the holes of his eyes and the hole of his mouth Half-whistles and half-groans. With never a whisper in the Sea Oft darts the Spectre-ship; While clombe above the Eastern bar The Horned Moon, with one bright Star Almost atween the tips. One after one by the horned Moon (Listen!, O Stranger! to me) Each turn'd his face with a ghastly pang And curs'd me with his ee. 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. IV. 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. V. O sleep, it is a gentle thing Belov'd from pole to pole! To Mary-queen the praise be yeven She sent the gentle sleep from heaven That slid into my soul. The silly buckets on the deck That had so long remain'd, I dreamt that they were fill'd with dew And when I awoke it rain'd. My lips were wet, my throat was cold, My garments all were dank; Sure I had drunken in my dreams And still my body drank. I mov'd and could not feel my limbs, I was so light, almost I thought that I had died in sleep, And was a blessed Ghost. The roaring wind! it roar'd far off, It did not come anear; But with its sound it shook the sails That were so thin and sere. The upper air bursts into life, And a hundred fire-flags sheen To and fro are hurried about; And to and fro, and in and out The stars dance on between. The coming wind doth roar more loud; The sails do sigh like sedge: The rain pours down from one black cloud And the Moon is at its edge. Hark! hark! the thick black cloud is cleft, And the Moon is at its side: Like waters shot from some high crag, The lightning falls with never a jag A river steep and wide. The strong wind reach'd the ship: it roar'd And dropp'd down, like a stone! Beneath the lightning and the moon The dead men gave a groan. They groan'd, they stirr'd, they all uprose, Ne spake, ne mov'd their eyes: It had been strange, even in a dream To have seen those dead men rise. The helmsman steer'd, the ship mov'd on; Yet never a breeze up-blew; The Marineres all 'gan work the ropes Where they were wont to do: They rais'd their limbs like lifeless tools-- We were a ghastly crew. The body of my brother's son Stood by me knee to knee: The body and I pull'd at one rope, But he said nought to me-- And I quak'd to think of my own voice How frightful it would be! The day-light dawn'd--they dropp'd their arms, And cluster'd round the mast: Sweet sounds rose slowly thro' their mouths And from their bodies pass'd. Around, around, flew each sweet sound, Then darted to the sun: Slowly the sounds came back again Now mix'd, now one by one. Sometimes a dropping from the sky I heard the Lavrock sing; Sometimes all little birds that are How they seem'd to fill the sea and air With their sweet jargoning, And now 'twas like all instruments, Now like a lonely flute; And now it is like an angel's song That makes the heavens be mute. It ceas'd: yet still the sails made on A pleasant noise till noon, A noise like of a hidden brook In the leafy month of June, That to the sleeping woods all night Singeth a quiet tune. Listen, O listen, thou Wedding-guest! "Marinere! thou hast thy will: "For that, which comes out of thine eye, doth make "My body and soul to be still." Never sadder tale was told To a man of woman born: Sadder and wiser thou wedding-guest! Thou'lt rise to morrow morn. Never sadder tale was heard By a man of woman born: The Marineres all return'd to work As silent as beforne. The Marineres all 'gan pull the ropes, But look at me they n'old: Thought I, I am as thin as air-- They cannot me behold. Till noon we silently sail'd on Yet never a breeze did breathe: Slowly and smoothly went the ship Mov'd onward from beneath. Under the keel nine fathom deep From the land of mist and snow The spirit slid: and it was He That made the Ship to go. The sails at noon left off their tune And the Ship stood still also. The sun right up above the mast Had fix'd her to the ocean: But in a minute she 'gan stir With a short uneasy motion-- Backwards and forwards half her length With a short uneasy motion. Then, like a pawing horse let go, She made a sudden bound: It flung the blood into my head, And I fell into a swound. How long in that same fit I lay, I have not to declare; But ere my living life return'd, I heard and in my soul discern'd Two voices in the air, "Is it he? quoth one, "Is this the man? "By him who died on cross, "With his cruel bow he lay'd full low "The harmless Albatross. "The spirit who 'bideth by himself "In the land of mist and snow, "He lov'd the bird that lov'd the man "Who shot him with his bow." The other was a softer voice As soft as honey-dew: Quoth he the man hath penance done, And penance more will do. VI. FIRST VOICE. "But tell me, tell me! speak again, "Thy soft response renewing-- "What makes that ship drive on so fast? "What is the Ocean doing? SECOND VOICE. "Still as a Slave before his Lord, "The Ocean hath no blast: "His great bright eye most silently "Up to the moon is cast-- "If he may know which way to go, "For she guides him smooth or grim. "See, brother, see! how graciously "She looketh down on him. FIRST VOICE. "But why drives on that ship so fast "Withouten wave or wind? Second Voice. "The air is cut away before, And closes from behind. "Fly, brother, fly! more high, more high, "Or we shall be belated. "For slow and slow that ship will go, "When the Marinere's trance is abated. I woke, and we were sailing on As in a gentle weather: Twas night, calm night, the moon was high; The dead men stood together. All stood together on the deck, For a charnel-dungeon fitter: All fix'd on me their stony eyes That in the moon did glitter. The pang, the curse with which they died, Had never pass'd away: I could not draw my een from theirs Ne turn them up to pray. And in its time the spell was snapt, And I could move my een: I look'd far-forth, but little saw Of what might else be seen. Like one, that on a lonely road Doth walk in fear and dread, And having once turn'd round, walks on And turns no more his head: Because he knows, a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread. But soon there breath'd a wind on me, Ne sound ne motion made: Its path was not upon the sea In ripple or in shade. It rais'd my hair, it fann'd my cheek, Like a meadow-gale of spring-- It mingled strangely with my fears, Yet it felt like a welcoming. Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship, Yet she sail'd softly too: Sweetly, sweetly, blew the breeze-- On me alone it blew. O dream of joy! is this indeed The light-house top I see? Is this the Hill? Is this the Kirk? Is this mine own countrée? We drifted o'er the Harbour-bar, And I with sobs did pray-- "O let me be awake, my God! "Or let me sleep alway!" The harbour-bay was clear as glass, So smoothly it was strewn! And on the bay the moon light lay, And the shadow of the moon. The moonlight bay was white all o'er, Till rising from the same, Full many shapes, that shadows were, Like as of torches came. A little distance from the prow Those dark-red shadows were; But soon I saw that my own flesh Was red as in a glare. I turn'd my head in fear and dread, And by the holy rood, The bodies had advanc'd, and now Before the mast they stood. They lifted up their stiff right arms, They held them strait and tight; And each right-arm burnt like a torch, A torch that's borne upright. Their stony eye-balls glitter'd on In the red and smoky light. I pray'd and turn'd my head away Forth looking as before. There was no breeze upon the bay, No wave against the shore. The rock shone bright, the kirk no less That stands above the rock: The moonlight steep'd in silentness The steady weathercock. And the bay was white with silent light, Till rising from the same Full many shapes, that shadows were, In crimson colours came. A little distance from the prow Those crimson shadows were: I turn'd my eyes upon the deck-- O Christ! what saw I there? Each corse lay flat, lifeless and flat; And by the Holy rood A man all light, a seraph-man, On every corse there stood. This seraph-band, each waved his hand: It was a heavenly sight: They stood as signals to the land, Each one a lovely light: This seraph-band, each waved his hand, No voice did they impart-- No voice; but O! the silence sank, Like music on my heart. Eftsones I heard the dash of oars, I heard the pilot's cheer: My head was turn'd perforce away And I saw a boat appear. Then vanish'd all the lovely lights; The bodies rose anew: With silent pace, each to his place, Came back the ghastly crew. The wind, that shade nor motion made, On me alone it blew. The pilot, and the pilot's boy I heard them coming fast: Dear Lord in Heaven! it was a joy The dead men could not blast. I saw a third--I heard his voice: It is the Hermit good! He singeth loud his godly hymns That he makes in the wood. He'll shrieve my soul, he'll wash away The Albatross's blood. VII. This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the Sea. How loudly his sweet voice he rears! He loves to talk with Marineres That come from a far Contrée. He kneels at morn and noon and eve-- He hath a cushion plump: It is the moss, that wholly hides The rotted old Oak-stump. The Skiff-boat ne'rd: I heard them talk, "Why, this is strange, I trow! "Where are those lights so many and fair "That signals made but now? "Strange, by my faith! the Hermit said-- "And they answer'd not our cheer. "The planks look warp'd, and see those sails "How thin they are and sere! "I never saw aught like to them "Unless perchance it were "The skeletons of leaves that lag "My forest brook along: "When the Ivy-tod is heavy with snow, "And the Owlet whoops to the wolf below "That eats the she-wolf's young. "Dear Lord! it has a fiendish look-- (The Pilot made reply) "I am afear'd.--"Push on, push on! "Said the Hermit cheerily. The Boat came closer to the Ship, But I ne spake ne stirred! The Boat came close beneath the Ship, And strait a sound was heard! Under the water it rumbled on, Still louder and more dread: It reach'd the Ship, it split the bay; The Ship went down like lead. Stunn'd by that loud and dreadful sound, Which sky and ocean smote: Like one that hath been seven days drown'd My body lay afloat: But, swift as dreams, myself I found Within the Pilot's boat. Upon the whirl, where sank the Ship, The boat spun round and round: And all was still, save that the hill Was telling of the sound. I mov'd my lips: the Pilot shriek'd And fell down in a fit. The Holy Hermit rais'd his eyes And pray'd where he did sit. I took the oars: the Pilot's boy, Who now doth crazy go, Laugh'd loud and long, and all the while His eyes went to and fro, "Ha! ha!" quoth he--"full plain I see, "The devil knows how to row." And now all in my own Countree I stood on the firm land! The Hermit stepp'd forth from the boat, And scarcely he could stand. "O shrieve me, shrieve me, holy Man! The Hermit cross'd his brow-- "Say quick," quoth he, "I bid thee say "What manner of man art thou? Forthwith this frame of mine was wrench'd With a woeful agony, Which forc'd me to begin my tale And then it left me free. Since then at an uncertain hour Now oftimes and now fewer, That anguish comes and makes me tell My ghastly aventure. I pass, like night, from land to land; I have strange power of speech; The moment that his face I see I know the man that must hear me; To him my tale I teach. What loud uproar bursts from that door! The Wedding-guests are there; But in the Garden-bower the Bride And Bride-maids singing are: And hark the little Vesper-bell Which biddeth me to prayer. O Wedding-guest! this soul hath been Alone on a wide wide sea: So lonely 'twas, that God himself Scarce seemed there to be. O sweeter than the Marriage-feast, 'Tis sweeter far to me To walk together to the Kirk With a goodly company. To walk together to the Kirk And all together pray, While each to his great father bends, Old men, and babes, and loving friends, And Youths, and Maidens gay. Farewell, farewell! but this I tell To thee, thou wedding-guest! He prayeth well who loveth well Both man and bird and beast. He prayeth best who loveth best, All things both great and small: For the dear God, who loveth us, He made and loveth all. The Marinere, whose eye is bright, Whose beard with age is hoar, Is gone; and now the wedding-guest Turn'd from the bridegroom's door. He went, like one that hath been stunn'd And is of sense forlorn: A sadder and a wiser man He rose the morrow morn. Newer version: ARGUMENT How a Ship having passed the Line was driven by storms to the cold Country towards the South Pole ; and how from thence she made her course to the tropical Latitude of the Great Pacific Ocean ; and of the strange things that befell ; and in what manner the Ancyent Marinere came back to his own Country. PART I An ancient Mariner meeteth three Gallants bidden to a wedding-feast, and detaineth one. It is an ancient Mariner, And he stoppeth one of three. `By thy long beard and glittering eye, Now wherefore stopp'st thou me ? The Bridegroom's doors are opened wide, And I am next of kin ; The guests are met, the feast is set : May'st hear the merry din.' He holds him with his skinny hand, `There was a ship,' quoth he. `Hold off ! unhand me, grey-beard loon !' Eftsoons his hand dropt he. The Wedding-Guest is spell-bound by the eye of the old seafaring man, and constrained to hear his tale. He holds him with his glittering eye-- The Wedding-Guest stood still, And listens like a three years' child : The Mariner hath his will. The Wedding-Guest sat on a stone : He cannot choose but hear ; And thus spake on that ancient man, The bright-eyed Mariner. `The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared, Merrily did we drop Below the kirk, below the hill, Below the lighthouse top. The Mariner tells how the ship sailed southward with a good wind and fair weather, till it reached the Line. The Sun came up upon the left, Out of the sea came he ! And he shone bright, and on the right Went down into the sea. Higher and higher every day, Till over the mast at noon--' The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, For he heard the loud bassoon. The Wedding-Guest heareth the bridal music ; but the Mariner continueth his tale. The bride hath paced into the hall, Red as a rose is she ; Nodding their heads before her goes The merry minstrelsy. The Wedding-Guest he beat his breast, Yet he cannot choose but hear ; And thus spake on that ancient man, The bright-eyed Mariner. The ship driven by a storm toward the south pole. `And now the STORM-BLAST came, and he Was tyrannous and strong : He struck with his o'ertaking wings, And chased us south along. With sloping masts and dipping prow, As who pursued with yell and blow Still treads the shadow of his foe, And forward bends his head, The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast, The southward aye we fled. And now there came both mist and snow, And it grew wondrous cold : And ice, mast-high, came floating by, As green as emerald. The land of ice, and of fearful sounds where no living thing was to be seen. And through the drifts the snowy clifts Did send a dismal sheen : Nor shapes of men nor beasts we ken-- The ice was all between. The ice was here, the ice was there, The ice was all around : It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, Like noises in a swound ! Till a great sea-bird, called the Albatross, came through the snow-fog, and was received with great joy and hospitality. At length did cross an Albatross, Thorough the fog it came ; As if it had been a Christian soul, We hailed it in God's name. It ate the food it ne'er had eat, And round and round it flew. The ice did split with a thunder-fit ; The helmsman steered us through ! And lo ! the Albatross proveth a bird of good omen, and followeth the ship as it returned northward through fog and floating ice. And a good south wind sprung up behind ; The Albatross did follow, And every day, for food or play, Came to the mariner's hollo ! In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud, It perched for vespers nine ; Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, Glimmered the white Moon-shine.' The ancient Mariner inhospitably killeth the pious bird of good omen. `God save thee, ancient Mariner ! From the fiends, that plague thee thus !-- Why look'st thou so ?'--With my cross-bow I shot the ALBATROSS. PART II The Sun now rose upon the right : Out of the sea came he, Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea. And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow, Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariners' hollo ! His shipmates cry out against the ancient Mariner, for killing the bird of good luck. And I had done an hellish thing, And it would work 'em woe : For all averred, I had killed the bird That made the breeze to blow. Ah wretch ! said they, the bird to slay, That made the breeze to blow ! But when the fog cleared off, they justify the same, and thus make themselves accomplices in the crime. Nor dim nor red, like God's own head, The glorious Sun uprist : Then all averred, I had killed the bird That brought the fog and mist. 'Twas right, said they, such birds to slay, That bring the fog and mist. The fair breeze continues ; the ship enters the Pacific Ocean, and sails northward, even till it reaches the Line. The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew, The furrow followed free ; We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea. The ship hath been suddenly becalmed. Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down, 'Twas sad as sad could be ; And we did speak only to break The silence of the sea ! All in a hot and copper sky, The bloody Sun, at noon, Right up above the mast did stand, No bigger than the Moon. Day after day, day after day, We stuck, nor breath nor motion ; As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean. And the Albatross begins to be avenged. Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink ; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink. The very deep did rot : O Christ ! That ever this should be ! Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs Upon the slimy sea. About, about, in reel and rout The death-fires danced at night ; The water, like a witch's oils, Burnt green, and blue and white. A Spirit had followed them ; one of the invisible inhabitants of this planet, neither departed souls nor angels ; concerning whom the learned Jew, Josephus, and the Platonic Constantinopolitan, Michael Psellus, may be consulted. They are very numerous, and there is no climate or element without one or more. And some in dreams assuréd were Of the Spirit that plagued us so ; Nine fathom deep he had followed us From the land of mist and snow. And every tongue, through utter drought, Was withered at the root ; We could not speak, no more than if We had been choked with soot. The shipmates, in their sore distress, would fain throw the whole guilt on the ancient Mariner : in sign whereof they hang the dead sea-bird round his neck. Ah ! well a-day ! what evil looks Had I from old and young ! Instead of the cross, the Albatross About my neck was hung. PART III There passed a weary time. Each throat Was parched, and glazed each eye. A weary time ! a weary time ! How glazed each weary eye, When looking westward, I beheld A something in the sky. The ancient Mariner beholdeth a sign in the element afar off. At first it seemed a little speck, And then it seemed a mist ; It moved and moved, and took at last A certain shape, I wist. A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist ! And still it neared and neared : As if it dodged a water-sprite, It plunged and tacked and veered. At its nearer approach, it seemeth him to be a ship ; and at a dear ransom he freeth his speech from the bonds of thirst. With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, We could nor laugh nor wail ; Through utter drought all dumb we stood ! I bit my arm, I sucked the blood, And cried, A sail ! a sail ! A flash of joy ; With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, Agape they heard me call : Gramercy ! they for joy did grin, And all at once their breath drew in, As they were drinking all. And horror follows. For can it be a ship that comes onward without wind or tide ? See ! see ! (I cried) she tacks no more ! Hither to work us weal ; Without a breeze, without a tide, She steadies with upright keel ! The western wave was all a-flame. The day was well nigh done ! Almost upon the western wave Rested the broad bright Sun ; When that strange shape drove suddenly Betwixt us and the Sun. It seemeth him but the skeleton of a ship. And straight the Sun was flecked with bars, (Heaven's Mother send us grace !) As if through a dungeon-grate he peered With broad and burning face. And its ribs are seen as bars on the face of the setting Sun. Alas ! (thought I, and my heart beat loud) How fast she nears and nears ! Are those her sails that glance in the Sun, Like restless gossameres ? The Spectre-Woman and her Death-mate, and no other on board the skeleton ship. And those her ribs through which the Sun Did peer, as through a grate ? And is that Woman all her crew ? Is that a DEATH ? and are there two ? Is DEATH that woman's mate ? [first version of this stanza through the end of Part III] Like vessel, like crew ! Her lips were red, her looks were free, Her locks were yellow as gold : Her skin was as white as leprosy, The Night-mare LIFE-IN-DEATH was she, Who thicks man's blood with cold. Death and Life-in-Death have diced for the ship's crew, and she (the latter) winneth the ancient Mariner. The naked hulk alongside came, And the twain were casting dice ; `The game is done ! I've won ! I've won !' Quoth she, and whistles thrice. No twilight within the courts of the Sun. The Sun's rim dips ; the stars rush out : At one stride comes the dark ; With far-heard whisper, o'er the sea, Off shot the spectre-bark. At the rising of the Moon, 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 steerman's face by his lamp gleamed white ; From the sails the dew did drip-- Till clomb above the eastern bar The hornéd Moon, with one bright star Within the nether tip. One after another, 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. His shipmates drop down dead. Four times fifty living men, (And I heard nor sigh nor groan) With heavy thump, a lifeless lump, They dropped down one by one. But Life-in-Death begins her work on the ancient Mariner. The souls did from their bodies fly,-- They fled to bliss or woe ! And every soul, it passed me by, Like the whizz of my cross-bow ! PART IV The Wedding-Guest feareth that a Spirit is talking to him ; `I fear thee, ancient Mariner ! I fear thy skinny hand ! And thou art long, and lank, and brown, As is the ribbed sea-sand. (Coleridge's note on above stanza) 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. But the ancient Mariner assureth him of his bodily life, and proceedeth to relate his horrible penance. Alone, alone, all, all alone, Alone on a wide wide sea ! And never a saint took pity on My soul in agony. He despiseth the creatures of the calm, The many men, so beautiful ! And they all dead did lie : And a thousand thousand slimy things Lived on ; and so did I. And envieth that they should live, and so many lie dead. I looked upon the rotting sea, And drew my eyes away ; I looked upon the rotting deck, And there the dead men lay. I looked to heaven, and tried to pray ; But or ever a prayer had gusht, A wicked whisper came, and made My heart as dry as dust. I closed my lids, and kept them close, And 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. But the curse liveth for him in the eye of the dead men. The cold sweat melted from their limbs, Nor rot nor reek did they : The look with which they looked on me Had never passed away. An orphan's curse would drag to hell A spirit from on high ; But oh ! 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. In his loneliness and fixedness he yearneth towards the journeying Moon, and the stars that still sojourn, yet still move onward ; and every where the blue sky belongs to them, and is their appointed rest, and their native country and their own natural homes, which they enter unannounced, as lords that are certainly expected and yet there is a silent joy at their arrival. 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 bemocked the sultry main, Like April hoar-frost spread ; But where the ship's huge shadow lay, The charméd water burnt alway A still and awful red. By the light of the Moon he beholdeth God's creatures of the great calm. Beyond the shadow of the ship, I watched the water-snakes : They moved in tracks of shining white, And when they reared, the elfish light Fell off in hoary flakes. Within the shadow of the ship I watched their rich attire : Blue, glossy green, and velvet black, They coiled and swam ; and every track Was a flash of golden fire. Their beauty and their happiness. He blesseth them in his heart. O happy living things ! no tongue Their beauty might declare : A spring of love gushed from my heart, And I blessed them unaware : Sure my kind saint took pity on me, And I blessed them unaware. The spell begins to break. The self-same moment I could pray ; And from my neck so free The Albatross fell off, and sank Like lead into the sea. PART V Oh sleep ! it is a gentle thing, Beloved from pole to pole ! To Mary Queen the praise be given ! She sent the gentle sleep from Heaven, That slid into my soul. By grace of the holy Mother, the ancient Mariner is refreshed with rain. The silly buckets on the deck, That had so long remained, I dreamt that they were filled with dew ; And when I awoke, it rained. My lips were wet, my throat was cold, My garments all were dank ; Sure I had drunken in my dreams, And still my body drank. I moved, and could not feel my limbs : I was so light--almost I thought that I had died in sleep, And was a blesséd ghost. He heareth sounds and seeth strange sights and commotions in the sky and the element. And soon I heard a roaring wind : It did not come anear ; But with its sound it shook the sails, That were so thin and sere. The upper air burst into life ! And a hundred fire-flags sheen, To and fro they were hurried about ! And to and fro, and in and out, The wan stars danced between. And the coming wind did roar more loud, And the sails did sigh like sedge ; And the rain poured down from one black cloud ; The Moon was at its edge. The thick black cloud was cleft, and still The Moon was at its side : Like waters shot from some high crag, The lightning fell with never a jag, A river steep and wide. The bodies of the ship's crew are inspired, and the ship moves on ; The loud wind never reached the ship, Yet now the ship moved on ! Beneath the lightning and the Moon The dead men gave a groan. They groaned, they stirred, they all uprose, Nor spake, nor moved their eyes ; It had been strange, even in a dream, To have seen those dead men rise. The helmsman steered, the ship moved on ; Yet never a breeze up-blew ; The mariners all 'gan work the ropes, Where they were wont to do ; They raised their limbs like lifeless tools-- We were a ghastly crew. The body of my brother's son Stood by me, knee to knee : The body and I pulled at one rope, But he said nought to me. But not by the souls of the men, nor by dæmons of earth or middle air, but by a blessed troop of angelic spirits, sent down by the invocation of the guardian saint. `I fear thee, ancient Mariner !' Be calm, thou Wedding-Guest ! 'Twas not those souls that fled in pain, Which to their corses came again, But a troop of spirits blest : For when it dawned--they dropped their arms, And clustered round the mast ; Sweet sounds rose slowly through their mouths, And from their bodies passed. Around, around, flew each sweet sound, Then darted to the Sun ; Slowly the sounds came back again, Now mixed, now one by one. Sometimes a-dropping from the sky I heard the sky-lark sing ; Sometimes all little birds that are, How they seemed to fill the sea and air With their sweet jargoning ! And now 'twas like all instruments, Now like a lonely flute ; And now it is an angel's song, That makes the heavens be mute. It ceased ; yet still the sails made on A pleasant noise till noon, A noise like of a hidden brook In the leafy month of June, That to the sleeping woods all night Singeth a quiet tune. [Additional stanzas, dropped after the first edition.] Till noon we quietly sailed on, Yet never a breeze did breathe : Slowly and smoothly went the ship, Moved onward from beneath. The lonesome Spirit from the south-pole carries on the ship as far as the Line, in obedience to the angelic troop, but still requireth vengeance. Under the keel nine fathom deep, From the land of mist and snow, The spirit slid : and it was he That made the ship to go. The sails at noon left off their tune, And the ship stood still also. The Sun, right up above the mast, Had fixed her to the ocean : But in a minute she 'gan stir, With a short uneasy motion-- Backwards and forwards half her length With a short uneasy motion. Then like a pawing horse let go, She made a sudden bound : It flung the blood into my head, And I fell down in a swound. The Polar Spirit's fellow-dæmons, the invisible inhabitants of the element, take part in his wrong ; and two of them relate, one to the other, that penance long and heavy for the ancient Mariner hath been accorded to the Polar Spirit, who returneth southward. How long in that same fit I lay, I have not to declare ; But ere my living life returned, I heard and in my soul discerned Two voices in the air. `Is it he ?' quoth one, `Is this the man ? By him who died on cross, With his cruel bow he laid full low The harmless Albatross. The spirit who bideth by himself In the land of mist and snow, He loved the bird that loved the man Who shot him with his bow.' The other was a softer voice, As soft as honey-dew : Quoth he, `The man hath penance done, And penance more will do.' PART VI FIRST VOICE `But tell me, tell me ! speak again, Thy soft response renewing-- What makes that ship drive on so fast ? What is the ocean doing ?' SECOND VOICE `Still as a slave before his lord, The ocean hath no blast ; His great bright eye most silently Up to the Moon is cast-- If he may know which way to go ; For she guides him smooth or grim. See, brother, see ! how graciously She looketh down on him.' The Mariner hath been cast into a trance ; for the angelic power causeth the vessel to drive northward faster than human life could endure. FIRST VOICE `But why drives on that ship so fast, Without or wave or wind ?' SECOND VOICE `The air is cut away before, And closes from behind. Fly, brother, fly ! more high, more high ! Or we shall be belated : For slow and slow that ship will go, When the Mariner's trance is abated.' The supernatural motion is retarded ; the Mariner awakes, and his penance begins anew. I woke, and we were sailing on As in a gentle weather : 'Twas night, calm night, the moon was high ; The dead men stood together. All stood together on the deck, For a charnel-dungeon fitter : All fixed on me their stony eyes, That in the Moon did glitter. The pang, the curse, with which they died, Had never passed away : I could not draw my eyes from theirs, Nor turn them up to pray. The curse is finally expiated. And now this spell was snapt : once more I viewed the ocean green, And looked far forth, yet little saw Of what had else been seen-- Like one, that on a lonesome road Doth walk in fear and dread, And having once turned round walks on, And turns no more his head ; Because he knows, a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread. But soon there breathed a wind on me, Nor sound nor motion made : Its path was not upon the sea, In ripple or in shade. It raised my hair, it fanned my cheek Like a meadow-gale of spring-- It mingled strangely with my fears, Yet it felt like a welcoming. Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship, Yet she sailed softly too : Sweetly, sweetly blew the breeze-- On me alone it blew. And the ancient Mariner beholdeth his native country. Oh ! dream of joy ! is this indeed The light-house top I see ? Is this the hill ? is this the kirk ? Is this mine own countree ? We drifted o'er the harbour-bar, And I with sobs did pray-- O let me be awake, my God ! Or let me sleep alway. The harbour-bay was clear as glass, So smoothly it was strewn ! And on the bay the moonlight lay, And the shadow of the Moon. [Additional stanzas, dropped after the first edition.] The rock shone bright, the kirk no less, That stands above the rock : The moonlight steeped in silentness The steady weathercock. The angelic spirits leave the dead bodies, And the bay was white with silent light, Till rising from the same, Full many shapes, that shadows were, In crimson colours came. And appear in their own forms of light. A little distance from the prow Those crimson shadows were : I turned my eyes upon the deck-- Oh, Christ ! what saw I there ! Each corse lay flat, lifeless and flat, And, by the holy rood ! A man all light, a seraph-man, On every corse there stood. This seraph-band, each waved his hand : It was a heavenly sight ! They stood as signals to the land, Each one a lovely light ; This seraph-band, each waved his hand, No voice did they impart-- No voice ; but oh ! the silence sank Like music on my heart. But soon I heard the dash of oars, I heard the Pilot's cheer ; My head was turned perforce away And I saw a boat appear. [Additional stanza, dropped after the first edition.] The Pilot and the Pilot's boy, I heard them coming fast : Dear Lord in Heaven ! it was a joy The dead men could not blast. I saw a third--I heard his voice : It is the Hermit good ! He singeth loud his godly hymns That he makes in the wood. He'll shrieve my soul, he'll wash away The Albatross's blood. PART VII The Hermit of the Wood, This Hermit good lives in that wood Which slopes down to the sea. How loudly his sweet voice he rears ! He loves to talk with marineres That come from a far countree. He kneels at morn, and noon, and eve-- He hath a cushion plump : It is the moss that wholly hides The rotted old oak-stump. The skiff-boat neared : I heard them talk, `Why, this is strange, I trow ! Where are those lights so many and fair, That signal made but now ?' Approacheth the ship with wonder. `Strange, by my faith !' the Hermit said-- `And they answered not our cheer ! The planks looked warped ! and see those sails, How thin they are and sere ! I never saw aught like to them, Unless perchance it were Brown skeletons of leaves that lag My forest-brook along ; When the ivy-tod is heavy with snow, And the owlet whoops to the wolf below, That eats the she-wolf's young.' `Dear Lord ! it hath a fiendish look-- (The Pilot made reply) I am a-feared'--`Push on, push on !' Said the Hermit cheerily. The boat came closer to the ship, But I nor spake nor stirred ; The boat came close beneath the ship, And straight a sound was heard. The ship suddenly sinketh. Under the water it rumbled on, Still louder and more dread : It reached the ship, it split the bay ; The ship went down like lead. The ancient Mariner is saved in the Pilot's boat. Stunned by that loud and dreadful sound, Which sky and ocean smote, Like one that hath been seven days drowned My body lay afloat ; But swift as dreams, myself I found Within the Pilot's boat. Upon the whirl, where sank the ship, The boat spun round and round ; And all was still, save that the hill Was telling of the sound. I moved my lips--the Pilot shrieked And fell down in a fit ; The holy Hermit raised his eyes, And prayed where he did sit. I took the oars : the Pilot's boy, Who now doth crazy go, Laughed loud and long, and all the while His eyes went to and fro. `Ha ! ha !' quoth he, `full plain I see, The Devil knows how to row.' And now, all in my own countree, I stood on the firm land ! The Hermit stepped forth from the boat, And scarcely he could stand. The ancient Mariner earnestly entreateth the Hermit to shrieve him ; and the penance of life falls on him. `O shrieve me, shrieve me, holy man !' The Hermit crossed his brow. `Say quick,' quoth he, `I bid thee say-- What manner of man art thou ?' Forthwith this frame of mine was wrenched With a woful agony, Which forced me to begin my tale ; And then it left me free. And ever and anon through out his future life an agony constraineth him to travel from land to land ; Since then, at an uncertain hour, That agony returns : And till my ghastly tale is told, This heart within me burns. I pass, like night, from land to land ; I have strange power of speech ; That moment that his face I see, I know the man that must hear me : To him my tale I teach. What loud uproar bursts from that door ! The wedding-guests are there : But in the garden-bower the bride And bride-maids singing are : And hark the little vesper bell, Which biddeth me to prayer ! O Wedding-Guest ! this soul hath been Alone on a wide wide sea : So lonely 'twas, that God himself Scarce seeméd there to be. O sweeter than the marriage-feast, 'Tis sweeter far to me, To walk together to the kirk With a goodly company !-- To walk together to the kirk, And all together pray, While each to his great Father bends, Old men, and babes, and loving friends And youths and maidens gay ! And to teach, by his own example, love and reverence to all things that God made and loveth. Farewell, farewell ! but this I tell To thee, thou Wedding-Guest ! He prayeth well, who loveth well Both man and bird and beast. He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small ; For the dear God who loveth us, He made and loveth all. The Mariner, whose eye is bright, Whose beard with age is hoar, Is gone : and now the Wedding-Guest Turned from the bridegroom's door. He went like one that hath been stunned, And is of sense forlorn : A sadder and a wiser man, He rose the morrow morn. |
| FRRC11-10-06, 05:27 PM | Two stolen from World of Warcraft :) Undead: Roses are Grey, Violets are grey. I'm dead and colourblind. Troll: I kill two dwarves in da mornin', I kill two dwarves at night. I kill two dwarves in da afternoon, an' den I feel alright. I kill two dwarves in times of peace, and two in times of war. I kill two dwarves before I kill two dwarves, and den I kill two more! |