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 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

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

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'As silent as before.

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 fixt 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',
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,

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"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,

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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,

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"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 charmel 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.