The lonesome Spirit from the south-pole carries on Around, around, flew each sweet sound, Slowly the sounds came back again, Sometimes a-dropping from the sky 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 no A noise like of a hidden brook In the leafy month of June, That to the sleeping woods all night Till noon we quietly sailed on, Under the keel nine fathom deep, That made the ship to go. The sails at noon left off their tune, The Sun, right up above the mast, 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, How long in that same fit I lay, But ere my living life returned, I heard, and in my soul discerned the ship as far as the Line, in obedience to the angelic troop, but still requireth vengeance. The Polar Spirit's fellow demons, the invisible inhabitants of the ele ment, take part in his wrong; and two of them relate, one 'Is it he?' quoth one, "Is this the man? to the other, By him who died on cross, With his cruel bow he laid full low The spirit who bideth by himself that penance long and heavy for the ancient Ma riner hath been accorded to the Polar Spirit, who returneth southward. 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, His great bright eye most silently 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, Without or wave or wind?' SECOND VOICE. The air is cut away before, And closes from behind. Fly, brother, fly! more high, more high! For slow and slow that ship will go, I woke, and we were sailing on The Mariner hath been cast into a trance; for the angelic power causeth the vessel to drive northward faster than human life could endure. The supernatural motion is re tarded; the. 'Twas night, calm night, the moon was Mariner high; The dead men stood together. All stood together on the deck, The pang, the curse, with which they died, Had never passed away: I could not draw my eyes from theirs, awakes, and his penance begins anew. The curse is finally expiated. And now this spell was snapt: once more 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, 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 In ripple or in shade. the sea, It raised my hair, it fanned my cheek It mingled strangely with my fears, Swiftly, swiftly flew the ship, Oh! dream of joy! is this indeed cient Mariner beholdeth his native country. |