The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a narrative poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and first published in 1798.

This story tells the adventure of an old sailor who stops a wedding guest to tell his strange and tragic experience at sea.

The sailor describes how, after killing an albatross, his crew suffered a series of supernatural misfortunes, including the death of all the sailors except himself.

Caught in a cycle of guilt and penance, the sailor is condemned to wander the world telling his story as a warning about the connection between man and nature, and the power of repentance and redemption.

"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."