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The Ice was here, the Ice was there,

The Ice was all around:

It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,

A wild and ceaseless sound.

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.

The Mariners gave it biscuit-worms,
And round and round it flew :

The Ice did split with a Thunder-fit ;
The Helmsman steered us through.

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."

"God save thee, antient Mariner!

From the fiends that plague thee thus !Why look'st thou so?"- "With my cross bow I shot the Albatross."

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 Mariner's hollo!

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.

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Nor dim nor red, like an Angel's 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 breezes blew, the white foam flew,

The furrow followed 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.

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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.

Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,
Nor 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.

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