In this article i’m going to make an analysis of the part two of the “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner“, written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge:
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 wint still blew behind,
But no sweet bird did follow,
Nor any day for food or play
Came to the mariners’ hollo!
And I had done a hellish thing,
And it would work ’em woe:
For all averred, I had killed the bird
That made the breeze so blow.
Ah wretch! said they, the bird to slay,
That made the breeze to blow!
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 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!
All in 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.
Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrick;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.
The very deep did rot: O Christ!
That ever this should be!
Yes, 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.
And some in dreams assured 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 chocked with soot.
Ah! well a day! what evil looks
Had I from old and young!
Instead of the cross, tha Albatross
About my neck was hung.
ANALYSIS
FIRST STANZA
- The sun rises upon the right;
- We can notice that they have changed the route;
SECOND STANZA
- South wind still blows behind but none (no sweet bird) hails and follows the Mariners;
THIRD STANZA
- All his shipmates says that he has killed the bird that made the breeze (brezza);
- This action should take them to the hell;
FOURTH STANZA
- The sun rises up and it isn’t neither dim nor red like the God’s head;
- All his shipmates changes opinion about the killing of the albatross because they think albatross bring fog and snow so he has done the right thing;
FIFTH STANZA
- There is still the breeze and the white foam (schiuma) flew (alliteration);
- They are the first in that silent sea;
SIXTH STANZA
- The breeze ceases to exist;
- The situation couldn’t be more sad;
- The silence of the sea is interrupted only by the speaking of the mariners;
SEVENTH STANZA
- The weather is changing and it is so hot: in fact the sun is associated to the blood( bloody sun) because he is characterized by an intensive red colour;
- The sun is on the mast and it is as big as the moon;
EIGHTH STANZA
- There is a connection with the time passing (day after day);
- This situation is compared to a painting because all the things are idle (ferme);
NINTH STANZA
- The water is all around( as the ice in the first part);
- They are thirsty but they can’t drink the water of the sea;
- The intensive heat of the sun breaks the boards of the ship;
TENTH STANZA
- The ocean rots (marcire);
- Mariner asks explanations about this situations;
- Slimy things (putride creature) moves in the slimy sea;
ELEVENTH STANZA
- He sees the death fires (fuochi fatui) dancing at night( maybe these are spontaneous phenomena of the cemeteries where fires are generated by the putrefaction of the place);
TWELFTH STANZA
- The water burns with green, blue and white like a witch’ soil
THIRTEENTH STANZA
- Someone dreams that the crew is followed by a spirit under the water;
FOURTEENTH STANZA
- The drought negates the mariners to speak because the tongue needs some liquids;
FIFTEENTH STANZA
- To underline the fault of the Ancient Mariner they hang the albatross around his neck instead of the cross;