Three days she lay there murdered,
Before that she was found,
But then the neighbours searching
Within that broomy ground,
Did find her there uncovered,
And with a bloody wound.
And for mine offence I must die.

The neighbours having found her
Where I did do this deed;
There in the broom they found her
Where I her blood did shed;
But when I did perceive that,
I ran away with speed.

And for mine offence I must die.

No sooner had they found her,
But away I did go,

And thought to go to Ireland,
The very truth is so;

But God he would not suffer me
To run my country through.
And for mine offence I must die.

Yet I was got on ship-board,
As you may understand,
But the ship was troubled,
I must go back to land;
I could not get away so,
With guilty heart and hand.

And for mine offence I must die.

There is some wicked person

The shipmen they did say, Within the ship we know it, That cannot pass away; We must return to land here, And make no more delay.

And for mine offence I must die.

Then near unto Westchester,

I taken was at last,

And then in Chester prison

I suddenly was cast;

From thence brought unto Hereford,
To answer what is past.

And for mine offence I must die.

But then my loving father
His gold he did not spare,
To save me from the gallows
He had of me great care;
But it would not be granted,
The gallows was my share.

And for mine offence I must die.

My fault it was so heinous
It would not granted be,
I must for an example

Hang on the gallows tree;

God grant that I a warning

For all young men may be.

And for mine offence I must die.1

THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER

PART THE FIRST

It is an ancient Mariner,

And he stoppeth one of three,

"By thy long grey 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."

1 He died for his offence at Leintwardine, in Herefordshire, upon

the scene of his crime, 1650.

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.

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 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 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.

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,
And 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.

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!

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 a good south wind sprung up behind;
The Albatross did follow,

And every day, for food or play,
Came to the mariners' 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, ancient Mariner!

From the fiends, that plague thee thus !

Why look'st thou so?"-With

my cross-bow

I shot the Albatross !

PART THE SECOND

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!

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 to 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.