"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 perch'd for vespers nine; Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, Glimmer'd the white moon-shine." "God save thee, ancient Mariner! From the fiends, that plague thee thus!-- Why look'st thou so?"--"With my crossbow 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 mariners hollo! "And I had done a hellish thing, And it would work'em woe; For all averred I had kill'd 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 kill'd 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 follow'd 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 a 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 shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink. "The very deep did rot: O Christ! That ever this should be! Yea, 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 follow'd 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 choked with soot. "Ah! well a-day! what evil looks Had I from old and young! Instead of the cross, the Albatross About my neck was hung." III. "There pass'd a weary time. Each throat Was parch'd, and glazed each eye. A weary time! a weary time! How glazed each weary eye! When looking westward I beheld A something in the sky. "At first it seem'd a little speck, And then it seem'd a mist: It moved and moved, and took at last A certain shape, I wist. "A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist! And still it near'd and near'd: As if it dodged a water-sprite, It plunged and tack'd and veer'd. "With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, We could not laugh nor wail; Through utter drought all dumb we stood!