And first published in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads. The earliest literary adaptation of the legend of the Flying Dutchman. Freely translated into Russian by N. S. Gumilyov in 1919.
Plot
“The Poem of the Ancient Mariner” tells the story of supernatural events that happened to a sailor during a long voyage. He tells about this much later to a random interlocutor, whom he distracted from the wedding procession.
...After leaving the port, the protagonist's ship was caught in a storm, which carried him far to the South, to Antarctica. An albatross, considered a good omen, appears and leads the ship out of the ice. However, the sailor kills the bird with a crossbow, without knowing why. His comrades scold him for this, but when the fog that shrouded the ship clears, they change their minds. But soon the ship falls into a dead calm, and the sailor is accused of bringing a curse on everyone.
Days after days, days after days
We are waiting, our ship is sleeping,
Like in painted water,
The drawn one is worth it.
Water, water, just water.
But the vat is upside down;
Water, water, just water,
We don't drink anything.
As a sign of his guilt, the corpse of an albatross was hung around his neck. The calm continues, the team suffers from thirst. Eventually a ghost ship appears, on board of which Death plays dice with Life-in-Death for the souls of the ship's crew. Death wins everyone except the main character, who goes to Life-in-Death. One by one, all two hundred of the sailor's companions die, and the sailor suffers for seven days, seeing their eyes full of eternal damnation.
In the end, he sees sea creatures in the water around the ship, which he previously called nothing more than “slimy creatures,” and, having regained his sight, blesses all of them and all living things in general. The curse disappears, and as a sign of this, the albatross falls from his neck:
At that moment I could pray:
And finally from the neck
The Albatross sank
Into the abyss like lead.
Rain pours from the sky and quenches the thirst of the sailor, his ship sails straight home, not obeying the wind, led by angels who have inhabited the bodies of the dead. Having brought the sailor home, the ship disappears along with the crew in a whirlpool, but nothing is finished yet, and Life-in-Death makes the sailor wander the earth, telling his story and its lesson everywhere for edification:
He who prays who loves everything -
Creation and creature;
Because God who loves them
There is a king over this creature.
Meaning
The Ancient Mariner's Poem is considered the starting point for the development of English Romanticism. It is notable for its deliberately archaic language and inventive use of almost all known early XIX century poetic devices, including complex alliteration and even cacophony ( With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, Agape…). Examples from The Ancient Mariner are often cited in English-language prosody manuals.
Responding to complaints from early reviewers regarding the complexity of the language, which sometimes obscured the meaning of the poem, Coleridge revised the text for subsequent editions of Lyrical Ballads. In addition, he provided the work with extensive comments.
References
In 1925, based on the poem, it was staged Feature Film"The Old Mariner".
Based on the poem, with quotes from it, the English metal band Iron Maiden wrote a 13-minute song “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” in 1984, which was included in the album Powerslave. The song completely retells the plot of the poem and quotes two fragments from it as verses.
Write a review of the article "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner"
Links
- (English)
- in the library of Maxim Moshkov (Russian)
- on Project Gutenberg
- (English)
- (Russian)
Excerpt characterizing The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Pierre looked at her carefully.“Yes, and nothing more,” Natasha confirmed.
“It’s not true, it’s not true,” Pierre shouted. – It’s not my fault that I’m alive and want to live; and you too.
Suddenly Natasha dropped her head into her hands and began to cry.
- What are you doing, Natasha? - said Princess Marya.
- Nothing, nothing. “She smiled through her tears at Pierre. - Goodbye, time to sleep.
Pierre stood up and said goodbye.
Princess Marya and Natasha, as always, met in the bedroom. They talked about what Pierre had told. Princess Marya did not speak her opinion about Pierre. Natasha didn't talk about him either.
“Well, goodbye, Marie,” Natasha said. – You know, I’m often afraid that we don’t talk about him (Prince Andrei), as if we are afraid to humiliate our feelings and forget.
Princess Marya sighed heavily and with this sigh acknowledged the truth of Natasha’s words; but in words she did not agree with her.
- Is it possible to forget? - she said.
“It felt so good to tell everything today; and hard, and painful, and good. “Very good,” said Natasha, “I’m sure he really loved him.” That's why I told him... nothing, what did I tell him? – suddenly blushing, she asked.
- Pierre? Oh no! How wonderful he is,” said Princess Marya.
“You know, Marie,” Natasha suddenly said with a playful smile that Princess Marya had not seen on her face for a long time. - He became somehow clean, smooth, fresh; definitely from the bathhouse, do you understand? - morally from the bathhouse. Is it true?
“Yes,” said Princess Marya, “he won a lot.”
- And a short frock coat, and cropped hair; definitely, well, definitely from the bathhouse... dad, it used to be...
“I understand that he (Prince Andrei) did not love anyone as much as he did,” said Princess Marya.
– Yes, and it’s special from him. They say that men are friends only when they are very special. It must be true. Is it true that he doesn't resemble him at all?
- Yes, and wonderful.
“Well, goodbye,” Natasha answered. And the same playful smile, as if forgotten, remained on her face for a long time.
Pierre could not fall asleep for a long time that day; He walked back and forth around the room, now frowning, pondering something difficult, suddenly shrugging his shoulders and shuddering, now smiling happily.
He thought about Prince Andrei, about Natasha, about their love, and was either jealous of her past, then reproached her, then forgave himself for it. It was already six o'clock in the morning, and he was still walking around the room.
“Well, what can we do? If you can’t do without it! What to do! So, this is how it should be,” he said to himself and, hastily undressed, went to bed, happy and excited, but without doubts and indecisions.
“We must, strange as it may be, no matter how impossible this happiness is, we must do everything in order to be husband and wife with her,” he said to himself.
Pierre, a few days before, had set Friday as the day of his departure for St. Petersburg. When he woke up on Thursday, Savelich came to him for orders about packing his things for the road.
“How about St. Petersburg? What is St. Petersburg? Who's in St. Petersburg? – he asked involuntarily, although to himself. “Yes, something like that a long, long time ago, even before this happened, I was planning to go to St. Petersburg for some reason,” he remembered. - From what? I'll go, maybe. How kind and attentive he is, how he remembers everything! - he thought, looking at Savelich’s old face. “And what a pleasant smile!” - he thought.
- Well, don’t you want to go free, Savelich? asked Pierre.
- Why do I need freedom, Your Excellency? We lived under the late count, the kingdom of heaven, and we see no resentment under you.
- Well, what about the children?
“And the children will live, your Excellency: you can live with such gentlemen.”
- Well, what about my heirs? - said Pierre. “What if I get married... It could happen,” he added with an involuntary smile.
“And I dare to report: a good deed, your Excellency.”
“How easy he thinks it is,” thought Pierre. “He doesn’t know how scary it is, how dangerous it is.” Too early or too late... Scary!
- How would you like to order? Would you like to go tomorrow? – Savelich asked.
- No; I'll put it off a little. I'll tell you then. “Excuse me for the trouble,” said Pierre and, looking at Savelich’s smile, he thought: “How strange, however, that he does not know that now there is no Petersburg and that first of all it is necessary for this to be decided. However, he probably knows, but he’s only pretending. Talk to him? What does he think? - thought Pierre. “No, someday later.”
Part one
The Old Mariner meets three young men invited to a wedding feast, and
holds one.
Old Man Sailor, he is alone
Of the three, he held it with his hand.
“What do you want, with fire in your eyes,
With a gray beard?
The groom's door is open,
And he is my relative;
There are already people, the feast is already underway,
A merry ringing can be heard.”
But the old man holds everything:
“Wait, there was a ship there...”
"Let the gray-bearded liar go."
The old man let him in.
The wedding guest is enchanted by the eyes of the old sailor and is forced
listen to his story.
He fixed his burning gaze on him.
Guest - not one step further,
He listens to him like a child,
The Sailor took possession of him.
The Wedding Guest sat down on the stone
And he hung his head;
And started with fire in his eyes
Tell the old man.
"The ship is sailing, the crowd is screaming,
We are happy to leave
And the church and home,
Green hills.
The sailor tells how the ship sailed south in a good wind and calm
weather until he approached the Equator.
Here is the sun to the left of the wave
Rising on high
Lights up on the right side too
Descends into the wave.
Higher, higher every day
Floats above the mast..."
Then the Guest hit himself in the chest,
He heard a bassoon.
The wedding guest hears music; but the Sailor continues his story.
The bride has already entered the hall,
And she's sweeter than roses
And the heads of a cheerful choir
He bows before her.
The ship is carried by a storm to the South Pole
But then a storm overtook us, it was
Powerful and angry
He twisted the headwinds
And he took us south.
Without a mast, nose under water,
As if fleeing from threats
There's a hurrying enemy behind him,
Jumping suddenly
The ship was flying and the thunder was roaring,
And we sailed south.
And fog and snow greeted us
And the evil cold
Like an emerald, they float towards us
There are masses of ice all around.
A land of ice and a frightening roar, where nothing living is visible.
Sometimes between snow cracks
The gloomy light will flash:
Neither man nor beasts, -
There is only ice everywhere.
From here the ice, from here the ice,
Above and below,
It crackles, breaks, rattles.
Like sounds in a heavy sleep.
Finally a large sea bird called the Albatross arrives
through the snow fog. She is greeted joyfully and hospitably.
And finally Albatross
He flew to us from the darkness;
As if he were a man,
We treated him.
He took food from our hands.
Circled overhead.
And with thunder the ice cracked, and behold
The helmsman led us out.
And so the Albatross turns out to be a good omen and accompanies
a ship returning north through fog and floating ice.
And the kind south wind rushed us along,
Albatross was with us,
He flew off to play and eat
On the ship's bow.
In the damp fog on the mast he
Slept for nine evenings
And the white moon shone for us
From white clouds."
The Old Mariner, breaking hospitality, kills the bird that brings
happiness.
The Lord is with you, gray-haired sailor,
You're shaking like it's freezing!
How do you look? - “With my arrow
Albatross was killed."
Part two
"Here is the sun on the right from the wave
Rising on high
In the darkness, and on the left side
The depth also goes away.
And the good south wind rushes us along,
But Albatross died.
He doesn't fly to play or eat
On the ship's bow.
The comrades scold the Old Sailor for killing the bird,
bringing happiness.
I've done a hell of a job
It was a work of evil.
I heard: “You killed the bird,
What the wind brought;
Unhappy, you killed a bird,
What the wind brought."
But when the fog cleared, they justify his action and thereby
join in his crime.
When will a ray of sunshine
The ocean is on fire
I heard: “You killed the bird,
Sending the fog.
You were right, you killed the bird,
Sending the fog."
The wind continues. The ship enters the Pacific Ocean and sails north,
until it reaches the Equator.
The foam is white, the wind is blowing,
Behind us the ripples are growing;
We were the first to enter the space,
Those silent waters.
The wind died down and our sail hung,
And grief comes to us,
Only our voice sounds in silence
Those silent waters.
The ship suddenly stops.
In hot, copper skies
At midday sometimes
Above the mast the Sun is like blood,
The size of the moon.
Days after days, days after days
We are waiting, our ship is sleeping,
Like in painted water,
The drawn one is worth it.
Revenge for the Albatross begins.
Water, water, just water.
But the vat is upside down;
Water, water, just water,
We don't drink anything.
How rotten it smells - oh, Christ! -
What does a wave smell like?
And slimy creatures crawl
From the viscous depths.
In the night they weave a round dance
Stray lights.
Like witches' candles, green,
They are red and white.
They are haunted by a spirit, one of the invisible inhabitants of our planet,
which are not souls of the dead and not angels.
And many fell asleep with a terrible spirit,
For us it’s worse than the plague,
He swam for us underwater
From the lands of snow and darkness.
In the larynx of each of us.
The tongue dried up, and lo,
We were silent, as if everything
They filled their mouths with soot.
The sailors, having fallen into despair, want to place all the blame on the Old Man.
A sailor, as a sign of which they tie the corpse of a seabird around his neck.
Looking at me with anger,
Both old and young wandered;
And an Albatross on my neck
He was hanged by them."
Part three
The Old Mariner notices something in the distance.
“The days go by so boring. Everyone has
Glassy shine in the eyes.
How bored we are! How bored we are!
What a terrible sparkle in the eyes!
I look ahead, and suddenly something
Flashed in the sky.
At first, like a light spot,
And like fog afterwards;
Floats, floats and finally
It appeared as a ship.
Spot - fog - a ship in the distance,
And everything floats, floats:
As if by the will of the spirit of the waters
He will jump and dive.
When approached, it turns out to be a ship; and at a high price Sailor
obtains from Thirst the opportunity to speak.
With a dried, black tongue
We couldn't scream;
Then I bit my hand
He drank blood and howled:
- A ship, a ship in the distance!
With a dried, black tongue,
They are not steady in their movements,
They tried to laugh
And they started breathing again
As if taking a sip of water.
An explosion of joy followed by horror. For is there ever a ship that sails
without wind or current?
Look! - I shouted - how quiet he is,
He will not give us happiness;
But without currents, without winds
He flies across the waters. -
There's a wave of fire in the west,
The day goes by like smoke;
And I was right above the wave
The ball of the sun is motionless,
When a wonderful ghost suddenly
He stood between us.
It seems to him that this is only the skeleton of a ship.
We can see the sun through the gear
(Hear us, Mary!)
Like behind prison bars
Burning, round eye.
Alas! (I thought and trembled)
He keeps swimming!
And really the sails -
Is this thread on the Sun?
And the yards seem like prison bars on the face of the setting Sun. On board
the skeleton ship is only a ghost woman and death, her comrade.
Like the ship, so is the crew! Death and Life by Death play out
sailors among themselves, and the latter receives the Ancient Mariner.
The sun is burning like in prison
Is it really between the reys?
And the woman laughs at us? -
Isn't it Death? And the second one is there?
Isn't it Death that is with her?
The mouth is red, yellow-gold
A terrible gaze burns:
The white skin scares me,
That is Life after Death, spirit of the night,
What chills the heart.
We're close, we're close
And got busy playing
And whistling three times, he shouted
spirit:
“I won, he’s mine!”
There is no twilight at sunset.
There is no sun; it’s time for the stars:
The evening didn't last long,
And with noise the ghost ship
Sailed off to the seas again.
We listened and watched again
And like from a cup, our blood
Fear sharpened the hearts;
The stars dimmed, the darkness thickened
There was a helmsman under a white lamp;
Sunrise of the month.
Dew is on the sails.
And then he stood in the east
Horned moon and star
Got tangled in the horns.
In sequence.
And every month we drive,
Keeping silence
With eyes full of melancholy,
Haunting me.
His comrades fall dead.
And two hundred of them, living people
(And I didn't hear the words)
They fell with a heavy thud,
Like a pile of dead people.
Their souls rushed, in a hurry
Leave their bodies!
And every soul sang,
Like that arrow of mine.”
Part four
The wedding guest fears he is talking to a ghost.
You are scary to me, gray-haired Sailor
With a bony hand
You are dark as sea sand
Tall and thin.
But the Old Mariner assures him and continues his terrible confession.
The burning eyes are scary,
bony hand, -
“Wait, don’t be afraid, Marriage
Guest!
I haven't died yet.
Alone, alone, always alone,
Alone among the swells!
And there are no saints, so that about the soul
They remembered mine.
He despises the creatures born of calm,
So many young people
Lost from existence:
And there are a million slimy creatures
He lives, and I am with them.
And he’s angry about why they live when so many people have died.
I look at the rot of the teeming waters
And I look away;
I look at the deck later,
The dead lie there.
I look at the sky and pray
I'm trying to lift up
But a terrible sound is heard,
To dry my heart.
When will I close my eyelids,
The pupils are in a terrible fight,
Heaven and water, heaven and water
There is a heavy burden on them,
And corpses underfoot.
But he can see the curse in the eyes of the dead.
Cold sweat pours from their faces,
But decay is alien to them,
And the way they look,
Forever inevitable.
Orphan curse from above
Casts the spirit into hell;
But, ah! Curse of Dead Eyes
A hundred times more terrible!
Seven days and seven nights before him
I was glad to die.
The moving month has risen
And swam in the blue:
He swam quietly, and next to him
One star, or two.
She was white in its rays,
Like frost, depth;
But where the shadow of the ship is
I lay down, there was a sparkling stream
Killer red.
In the light of the moon, he sees God's creatures in complete silence.
Where the ship did not cast a shadow,
I saw sea snakes:
They rushed after the rays,
They reared up and the light
Was in patches of snow.
Where the ship did not cast a shadow,
I saw their outfit -
Green, red, blue.
They glided over the water
There was a sparkling stream there.
Their beauty and their happiness.
They were alive! How
Describe their beauty!
The spring of love has entered me,
He blesses them in his heart.
I began to bless:
My saint took pity on me
I began to bless.
The spell begins to wear off.
At that moment I could pray:
And finally from the neck
The Albatross sank
Into the abyss like lead."
Part five
"Oh, sweet dream, all over the earth
And everyone is happy about it!
Eternal praise to Mary!
She gave my soul
Heavenly sweet dream.
By the grace of Our Lady, the Old Mariner is refreshed by the rain.
In fact, the vat is empty
Accidentally survived;
I dreamed that it was full of water:
I woke up - the rain was noisy.
My mouth was cold and the fabric
It was damp on me;
Oh yeah! While I was drinking in my sleep,
And my flesh drank.
But I didn't notice her
I suddenly became so light,
It's like I died in my sleep
And there was a heavenly spirit.
He hears sounds and notices strange signs in the sky.
And I heard a loud wind;
He was blowing in the distance
But still the sails were inflated,
Hanging in sadness.
And the skies were torn apart
And a thousand lights
It will flash here, then it will flicker here;
Here, there, back, forward,
And the stars dance with her.
The coming wind is so powerful -
I could have broken the mast;
Rain pours from black clouds,
And I stayed in them for a month.
He lay down in a crack between the clouds,
What were so black:
Like waters falling from rocks,
So the flame of lightning fell
From a sheer steepness.
The corpses of the ship's sailors are enchanted, and the ship floats.
The ship does not feel the winds,
But still he rushes.
By the light of lightning and the moon.
I hear the groan of the dead.
They moan and tremble
They stand up without a word
And it’s strange to see, like in a dream,
The rising dead.
The helmsman has risen, the ship is sailing,
Although there is also no wave;
And the sailors go there
Where should they be?
Taking lifelessly to work,
Unprecedentedly scary.
My dead nephew is with me
Standing foot to foot:
We pulled the same rope,
But he was the only one who was silent."
But not the souls of dead sailors and not demons of the earth or air, but
a blessed swarm of angels was sent down through the prayer of his saint.
You are scary to me, gray-haired Sailor!
“Don’t be afraid, Guest, wait!
Not sinful souls then the army was
Into their returned bodies,
And the shower is a blissful system:
When dawn came they
A crowd gathered around the masts;
And raising your hands up,
They sang the holy hymn.
The sounds flew again and again,
Touch the heights
And they quietly fell back,
Sometimes separated, sometimes merged.
I'm the lark singing
I could barely distinguish there;
That small bird's song
Between heaven and water
A stream of blue.
Everything fell silent; only in sails
Until noon the call is heard,
As if in the heat of June
The babbling of brooks,
What they sing with a gentle voice
In the silence of the night forests.
And so we sailed until noon
In the midst of complete silence:
The ship moved calmly
Drawn from the depths.
A lonely spirit rushes the ship away South Pole to the Equator, obeying
a host of angels, but retribution must continue.
Nine fathoms deep
From the lands of snow and darkness
The spirit floated; and our contributed ship
To the water hills.
But at noon there is a call among the sails
It quieted down and we stopped.
The sun rose above the mast,
Doesn't let us go:
But a moment later the ship again
Suddenly he jumped out of the waters,
Almost its entire length
He jumped out of the waters.
Like a horse rearing up,
He immediately jumped up:
Blood rushed into my temples
And I fell exhausted.
Demons, companions of the Polar Spirit, invisible inhabitants of the elements,
take part in its work, and two of them report one
to another, that a long and cruel revenge on the Ancient Mariner was carried out by the Polar
The spirit that returns to the south.
How long have I been unconscious?
I would be glad to find out myself;
When did life come back to me,
I heard that in the heights
Two voices sound.
Who is this? - said one,
- Isn’t this the sailor?
By whose evil arrow was he killed?
Gentle Albatross?
Autocratic ruler
Lands of snow and darkness
Loved that bird and took revenge
The owner of the arrow. -
Part six
“But tell me! - heard again,
“Answer me in more detail,
Then does the ship move like this?
What's hidden in the depths?
Like a slave before his master
And the ocean is humble;
His burning round eye
Aimed at the Month"
And if he knows his way,
Then it is the Moon that rules him;
Look, my brother, how tender
sight
The Moon's gaze above him.
But like a ship in no wind
Walking, enchanted?
The sailor lies unconscious as the angels take the ship north
so fast that a person cannot stand it.
There was air ahead
He closed in from behind.
Let's fly, my brother, let's fly quickly!
We are late like this:
While the ship is moving forward,
The Sailor will awaken. -
The wonderful movement is slow; The sailor woke up, and retribution
continues.
I woke up; and we sail
In calm waters:
The dead crowded around,
And the Moon in the clouds.
They are standing on the deck,
Staring at me
Glass eyes, where is the beam?
Heavenly fire.
They died with a curse,
The curse is in their eyes.
I can't take my eyes off
Nor go away in tears.
Retribution is finally ending.
And the spell ended: again
I looked into the green waters,
And even though I didn’t see anything,
But he kept looking forward.
Like a traveler walking in the wilderness
With anxiety and sadness
And he started spinning, but back
He won’t look at his own path
And feels behind
A terrible spirit of the night.
But soon the wind is upon me,
Slightly noticeable, blowing:
His inaudible, quiet step
The water didn't stir.
It refreshed my face
Like the wind of spring, beckoning
And, penetrating my horror,
He consoled me.
The ship was going so fast, so fast,
It's easy for him to go;
And the wind blew gently, gently, -
I was alone.
And the Old Sailor sees his homeland again.
Oh, wonderful dream! Am I really
Dear, do I see a house?
And this hill and the temple on it?
And am I in my native land?
A ship to our bay
Directs his path -
Oh, let me wake up, Lord,
Or let me sleep forever!
In the native bay the waters are sleeping,
They are smooth like ice
The rays of the moon are visible on them
And shadows from the moon.
The silent glow of the moon
Illuminated around
Rock and church on the rock,
And a weathercock.
Angels leave corpses and appear in robes of light.
And the ghosts rise in a crowd,
Among the white waters are red,
Those who seemed to me now
Shadows from the moon.
In clothes red, like blood,
They come to us:
And I looked at the deck -
Lord! What was there!
Each corpse lay as before,
Terrible, motionless!
But was over everyone's heads
Winged Seraphim.
The choir of angels beckoned
And sent greetings
Like signal lights,
Dressed in light.
The choir of angels beckoned with their hand,
Not a sound in silence
But silence also sings,
Like the music in me.
Suddenly I heard a cheerful splash
And the helmsman's whistle;
I turned around involuntarily
And I saw the shuttle.
There is a feedman and his child,
They are following me:
Lord! Before such joy
Nothingness and the dead system.
I hear the hermit's call
After all, he is third in the boat!
He sings loudly a glorious hymn,
What is difficult for them in the forest.
I know it can wash away your soul
He is the blood of the Albatross.
Part seven
Forest Hermit.
The hermit lives in the forest
At the blue wave.
Sings in the silence of the forest,
He loves to chat with the Sailor
From the far side.
And in the mornings, in the evenings
He prays in silence:
His pillow is soft - moss
On a dilapidated stump.
The shuttle was close. I hear:
- Isn't there witchcraft here?
Where did the bright one go?
The light that called us?
And no one answered us, -
Said the Hermit - yes!
The wonderful approach of the ship.
The ship is dry, but what about the sails?
Looks like thin fabric!
There is no comparison; one
Similar to her sometimes
An armful of leaves that are mine
Forest streams rush;
When the grass sleeps under the snow
And the owl speaks to the wolf.
With the fact that he devoured the wolf cubs. -
Those were the eyes of Satan!
(So the feedman exclaimed)
- I'm scared. - Nothing!
let's swim! -
The hermit answered.
The shuttle is already at the ship,
I'm in a dumb oblivion
The shuttle moored to the ship,
And suddenly there was thunder.
The ship suddenly sinks.
It came from under the water
And it expands and grows:
He stirred up the bay, and now
The ship is going down.
The Old Sailor finds salvation in the shuttle.
The ocean froze from thunder,
And the skies are sad
And like a drowned man I surfaced
From the depths lightly;
But I opened my eyes
In a reliable shuttle.
In the crater where the ship died,
The shuttle spun like a top;
Everything was silent, only the hill was humming,
Thunder echoed within it.
I opened my mouth - and the feeder suddenly
Covering his face, he fell;
The Holy Hermit was pale
And he called on God.
I grabbed the oars: and the child,
Almost crazy
Laughs, doesn't look away
From my way.
- Ha! Ha! - mutters, - how glad I am,
What the devil can row. -
And I'm in my native country,
I'm on solid ground!
The hermit has gone out and is in a hurry,
Hiding in the darkness.
The Old Mariner begs the Hermit to accept his confession; and his soul
relieved.
“Wait! I want to repent!”
The hermit frowns
And he asks: “Who are you?
What have you done so far?" -
And a heavy load fell from me
With painful sadness,
What prompted my story;
And I went differently.
But still, melancholy makes him wander from country to country.
Since then I have been depressed
At an hour unknown to me,
Until I tell you again
My dark story.
Like night I wander from one end to another,
Sweeping snow and dust;
And by the face I recognize
Who can listen to my
A painful reality.
Oh, how loud the noise is outside the door!
The guests gathered there;
The bride sings in the meadow
Guests with friends,
And the evening bells are heard,
Calling me to the temple.
Oh, Wedding Guest, I have been to the seas
Desert lonely
As lonely as it gets
There is only God.
But I won't ask you:
Take me to the feast!
It’s sweeter for me to go to God’s temple
With good people.
Let's all go to God's temple together
And listen to the chant there,
Who talk to God
Among old people, men, children,
Both boys and girls.
And he teaches on his own by example love and attention to all creatures,
which God created and loves.
Bye Bye! But, Marriage
Guest,
Believe my words!
The one who prays is the one who loves everyone,
Be it a bird or an animal.
Believe my words!
He prays who loves everything -
Creation and creature;
Because God who loves them
There is a king over this creature.”
Sailor with eyes of fire,
With a gray beard
He left, and then the Marriage Guest
I wandered to my home.
He wandered like a stunned animal,
Hastens to his hole:
But deeper and wiser
I woke up in the morning.
in seven partstranslation
WILHELMA LEVIKA
Facile credo, plures esse Naturas invisibiles quam visibiles in rerum universitate. Sed horum omniam familiam quis nobis enarrabit? et gradus et cognationes et discrimina et singulorum munera? Quid agunt? Quae loca habitant? Harum rerum notitiam semper ambivit ingenium humanum, nunquam attigit. Juvat, interea, non diffiteor, quandoque in animo, tanquam in tabula, majoris et melioris mundi imaginem contemplari: ne mens assuefacta hodiernae vitae minutiis se contrahat nimis, et tota subsidat in pusillas cogitationes. Sed veritati interea invigilandum est, modusque servandus, ut certa ab incertis, diem a nocte, distinguamus. – T. Burnet. Archeol. Phil., p 68.
Summary
I readily believe that there are more invisible beings in the universe than visible ones. But who will explain to us all their multitude, character, mutual and family ties, features and the properties of each of them? What are they doing? Where do they live? The human mind has only glided around the answers to these questions, but has never comprehended them. However, without a doubt, it is sometimes pleasant to paint in your mind's eye, as in a picture, an image of a bigger and better world: so that a mind accustomed to little things everyday life, did not isolate himself within too narrow boundaries and did not become completely immersed in petty thoughts. But at the same time, we must constantly remember the truth and observe due measure so that we can distinguish the reliable from the unreliable, day from night. – T. Barnett. Philosophy of antiquity, p. 68 (lat).
About how the ship, having crossed the Equator, was carried into the country by storms eternal ice at the South Pole; and how from there the ship proceeded to the tropical latitudes of the Great, or Pacific, Ocean; and about strange things that happened; and how the Ancient Mariner returned to his homeland.
Part oneHere is the Ancient Mariner. Out of the darkness
He glared at the Guest.
"Who are you? What do you want, old man?
Your eyes are burning!Live! In full swing wedding feast,
The groom is mine close friend.
Everyone has been waiting for a long time, the wine is boiling,
And the noisy circle is cheerful."He holds it with a tenacious hand.
“And there was,” he says, “a brig.”
“Let go, gray-bearded jester!”
And the old man let go.He holds with a burning gaze,
And the Guest does not enter the house;
How enchanted stands
Before the Ancient Mariner.And conquered, he sits down
On the stone at the gate,
And his gaze cast lightning
And the Sailor said:“There is noise in the crowd, the rope creaks,
The flag is raised on the mast.
And we sail, this is our father’s house,
Here is the church, here is the lighthouse.And the sun on the left rose,
Beautiful and light
Shining upon us, it descended to the waves
And it went deeper to the right.The sun is getting higher every day,
It's getting hotter every day..."
But then the Wedding Guest rushed forward,
Hearing trumpet thunder.The bride entered the hall, fresh,
Like a lily in spring.
In front of her, swaying to the beat,
The intoxicated choir walks.The Wedding Guest rushed there,
But no, he won't leave!
And his gaze cast lightning
And the Sailor said:“And suddenly from the kingdom of winter blizzards
A fierce squall rushed in,
He beat us viciously with his wings,
He bent and tore the masts.Like from chains, from slave bonds,
Afraid of the scourge to taste it,
The coward runs, abandoning the battle,
Our brig flew forward,
All in a storm of torn gear,
In the expanse of raging swells,
In the darkness of polar waters.Here the fog fell on the ocean, -
Oh, miracle! – the water burns!
They float, burning like an emerald,
Sparkling blocks of ice.In the midst of whiteness, blinded,
Through the wild world we walked
In a desert of ice where there is no trace
No life, no land.Where there is ice on the right and ice on the left,
Only dead ice all around,
Only the crackle of breaking blocks,
Only roar, hum and thunder.And suddenly, drawing a circle above us,
The Albatross flew by
And everyone is happy about the white bird,
As if it were a friend or brother,
He praised the Creator.He flew to us, from our hands
Took unusual food
And with a roar the ice opened up,
And our ship, entering the span,
Left the kingdom of icy waters,
Where the storm raged.A fair wind rose from the south,
Albatross was with us,
And he called the bird and played with it,
The sailor fed her.Only the day will pass, only the shadow will fall,
Our guest is already at the stern.
And nine times in the evening hour,
The moon, accompanying us,
Arose in white darkness."“How strange you look, Sailor,
Is the demon bothering you?
The Lord is with you! - “With my arrow
Albatross was killed.Part two
And on the right is the bright disk of the Sun
Ascended into the sky.
At the zenith he hesitated for a long time
And on the left, stained with blood,
Fell into the abyss of water.The wind rushes us, but it won’t fly away
On the ship Albatross,
To give him food, to play with him,
The sailor caressed him.When I committed the murder
The friends' gaze was stern:
Like, cursed is the one who beats the bird,
Lady of the winds.
Oh, how can we be, how can we resurrect
Lady of the winds?When the luminary of the day rose,
Light as God's brow
Praises poured in:
Like, happy is the one who beats the bird,
Bad bird of darkness.
He saved the ship, he brought us out,
He killed the bird of darkness.And the breeze played, and the shaft rose,
And our free rabble sailed
Forward to the limit of silent waters,
Untraversed latitudes.But the wind died down, but the sail lay down,
The ship slowed down
And everyone suddenly started talking,
To hear at least a single sound
In the silence of dead waters!Hot copper sky
Heavy heat flows.
Above the mast the Sun is all covered in blood,
The size of the moon.And the plain of waters will not splash,
The face of heaven will not tremble.
Or the ocean is drawn
And the brig is drawn?There is water all around, but how it cracks
Dry board!
There's water all around, but nothing to drink
Not a drop, not a sip.And it seems that the sea began to rot, -
Oh God, there's trouble!
They crawled, grew, intertwined in balls,
Slugs stuck together in clumps
On slimy water.Winding, spinning, it lit up all around
The lights of death are hazy.
Water is white, yellow, red,
Like oil in a sorcerer's lamp,
It burned and bloomed.And the Spirit that pursued us
Appeared to us in a dream.
From the kingdom of ice he swam after us
He's in the blue depths.And everyone is looking at me
But everyone is like a corpse.
Tongue swollen and dry
Hangs from black lips.And every glance curses me,
Although the lips are silent.
And the dead Albatross is on me
Hangs instead of a cross.Part three
Bad days have come. Larynx
Dry. And darkness in the eyes.
Bad days! Bad days!
What darkness in the eyes!
But suddenly I'm at the dawn of something
Spotted in the sky.At first it seemed like there was a spot
Or a clot of sea mist.
No, not a spot, not a haze - an object.
Is it an object? But which one?Spot? Fog? Or a sail? - No!
But it’s getting closer, floating.
Neither give nor take, the elf plays,
Dives, twists loops.Not a cry from our black lips,
No laughter escaped at that moment,
My tongue was also silent in my mouth,
The mouth just twisted.
Then I bit my finger
I watered my throat with blood,
I shouted from last bit of strength:
"Ship! The ship is coming!They look, but their gaze is empty,
Their black lips are silent,
But I was heard
And like a ray flashed from the clouds,
And everyone took a deep breath,
It was as if he was drinking and drinking...“Friends (I shouted), someone’s barque!
We will be saved!
But he goes, and the keel is raised,
Although there are hundreds of miles around
No wind, no waves.The sunset was burning in the west
Blood gold.
The sun was blazing - red circle
Above red water,
And the black ghost was strange
Between sky and water.And suddenly (Lord, Lord, listen!)
The rods crawled across the Sun
With bars, and for a moment,
As if to a prison window,
Ready to sink into the depths.
A burning face fell.Floating! (I thought, turning pale)
After all, these are miracles!
A web of cobwebs shines there -
Are they really sails?And what kind of bars are there all of a sudden?
Has the light of the sun dimmed?
Is this the skeleton of a ship?
Why are there no sailors?There is only one woman there.
That's Death! And next to her
Another. It's even scarier.
More bony and paler -
Or is she also Death?Bloody mouth, sightless gaze,
But the hairs burn with gold.
Like lime - skin color.
That's Life-and-in-Death, yes, it is!
A terrible guest in a sleepless night,
Blood-curdling delirium.The bark was approaching. Death and Death
They played dice, sitting on a pole.
I saw them clearly.
And she cried out with laughter,
Whose lips are red like blood:
“Mine took it, mine!”The sun went out - at the same moment
Darkness gave way to light.
The ship sailed away, and only a wave
She made a menacing noise after me.And we look, and there is fear in our eyes,
And fear squeezes our hearts,
And the helmsman is pale,
And darkness and sails splashing,
And dew drips loudly from them,
And then it spilled from the east
golden hue,
And the month rose from the clouds
With one star between the horns,
Green star.And one after another all around
Suddenly they turned to me
In terrible silence
And expressed a silent reproach
Their dull gaze full of torment,
Stopping at me.There were two hundred of them. And without words
One fell, then another...
And the sound of falling clay
The sound of them falling reminded me
Short and dull.And two hundred souls left their bodies -
To the limit of good or evil?
Whistle like my arrow
Heavy air cut through
Invisible wings"Part four
“Let me go, Sailor! Yours is scary
Withered hand.
Your gaze is gloomy, your face is darker
Coastal sand.I'm afraid of your bony hands,
Your burning eyes!
“Do not be afraid, Marriage Guest - alas!
I survived the terrible hour.Alone, alone, always alone,
One day and night!
And God did not heed my prayers,
Didn't want to help!Death took two hundred lives,
I cut off their thread,
And worms, slugs - they all live,
And I have to live!I look at the sea - I see rot
And I look away.
I look at my rotting brig -
But there are corpses lying around.I look at the heavens, but no
Prayers on lips
The heart has dried up, as in the steppes
Ashes burned by the sun.I want to fall asleep, but it’s a terrible burden
It caught my eye:
The whole breadth of the skies and the depth of the seas
They are crushed by its weight,
And the dead are at your feet!The sweat of death glistened on their faces,
But decay did not touch the bodies.
Like in the hour of death, only anger from the eyes
He looked into my eyes.Fear the orphan's curse -
The saint will be thrown into hell!
But believe me, the curse of dead eyes
A hundred times more terrible:
For seven days I read death in them
And he was not taken by death!And the bright moon floated between the clouds
In the deep blue
And a star floated next to him,
Or maybe two.The water sparkled in their rays,
As in frosty fields,
But, full of red reflections,
The wave resembled blood
In the shadow of the ship.And there, behind the shadow of the ship,
I saw sea snakes.
They rose like flowers
And their footprints lit up
Millions of lights.Wherever there was no shadow,
My gaze distinguished them.
Sparkled in and above the water
Them black, blue, gold
And a pink pattern.Oh, the happiness of living and seeing the world -
There is no strength to express it!
I saw a key in the desert -
And blessed life.
I saw the mercy of heaven -
And blessed life.And the soul dropped the burden,
I said a prayer
And at that very moment it fell from me
Into the abyss Albatross.Part five
Oh, sleep, oh, blessed sleep!
He is sweet to every creature.
Praise be to you, Most Pure One,
You gave people a sweet dream,
And sleep overcame me.I dreamed that the heat was weakening,
The sky darkened.
And water splashes in the barrels.
I woke up and it was raining.My tongue is wet, my mouth is fresh,
I'm soaked to the skin
And every time the body drinks
Life-giving juice.I get up and it’s so easy for my body:
Or did I die in my sleep?
Or has he become a disembodied spirit?
And heaven opened up to me?But the wind rustled in the distance,
Then again, again,
And the sails moved
And they began to swell.And the air came alive above!
Lights came on all around.
Near, far - a million lights,
Above, below, among the masts and yards,
They hovered around the stars.And the wind howled and the sails
They made noise like a wave.
And the rain poured from the black clouds,
The moon floated among them.The depths of the clouds opened up like a thunderstorm,
The crescent moon was nearby.
A wall of lightning has been erected,
It seemed like she was falling
I'm flowing down the steep side.But the whirlwind was not approaching, and yet
The ship was rushing forward!
And the dead are pale, terrible,
With the brilliance of lightning and the moon
They sighed heavily.They sighed, stood up, wandered off,
In silence, in silence.
I'm on the walking dead
I looked like I was in a bad dream.And the wind died down, but our brig sailed,
And the helmsman led our brig.
The sailors did their thing,
Who, where and how got used to it.
But everyone was like a mannequin
Lifeless and faceless.My brother's son stood
Shoulder to shoulder with me.
We pulled the rope alone,
But he was a corpse—mute.”"Old man, I'm scared!" - “Listen, Guest,
And calm your heart!
Not the souls of the dead, victims of evil,
Entered, returning, into their bodies,
But there is a swarm of bright spirits.And that’s all, leaving work at dawn,
They gathered around the mast,
And the sounds of sweet prayers
It flowed from their lips.And every sound floated around -
Or flew to the Sun.
And down they rushed in succession
Or merged into a chorale.The lark trilled
From the azure heights,
There are hundreds of other chirps,
Ringing in the forest thickets,
In the fields, above the swell of water.But everything fell silent. Only sails
They made noise until noon.
So between the roots of a forest stream
Runs, barely ringing,
Cradling the silent forest
And putting him to sleep.And until noon our brig sailed,
I walked forward without wind,
So smoothly, as if someone was driving
It's on the surface of the waters.Under the keel, in the dark depths,
From the kingdom of blizzards and darkness
The Spirit was sailing, he drove us north
From the southern kingdoms of winter.
But at noon the sails drooped,
And immediately we began.The disk hung at the zenith of the Sun
Over my head.
But suddenly, as if from a shock,
Moved a little to the left
And immediately – should you believe your eyes? –
Moved a little to the right.And like a struggling horse,
He jerked to the side.
At that very moment, I lost my senses,
He fell as if knocked down.I don't know how long I lay there
In a heavy, dark sleep.
And only with difficulty opening my eyes,
Through the darkness I heard voices
In the air above.“Here he is, here he is,” said one, “
Christ is a witness -
The man whose evil arrow
Albatross is ruined.The powerful Spirit loved that bird,
Whose kingdom is darkness and snow.
And he himself was kept by the bird,
Cruel person"."Don't be silent, don't be silent,
Don't disappear in the fog -
Whose force is driving the ship so fast?
What can you see in the ocean?“Look - like a slave before the lord,
He froze humbly,
And a huge eye on the moon
Calmly directed.Whether the path is destructive or clear -
Depends on the Moon.
And she looks tenderly
At the sea from above."“But what, without wind and without waves,
Are we driving the ship forward?“Before him the air is open again
Closes behind him.Back, back! It's too late, brother,
And soon the day will return.
The ship will go slower and slower,
When the Sailor wakes up."I wake up. We full swing walked
Under the Stars and the Moon.
But the dead wandered again,
They wandered towards me again.It's like I'm their undertaker
Everyone stood in front of me.
Pupils of petrified eyes
Sparkled under the moon.A deathly fear froze in his eyes.
And on the lips - a reproach.
And I couldn't pray
Nor turn away my gaze.But the punishment is over. Clean
There was water all around.
I looked into the distance, even though there were terrible spells
There was no trace -So the traveler, whose deserted path
Leads into dangerous darkness
Once it turns around and then
He hurries, quickening his pace,
Without looking back, so as not to know
The enemy is far or near.And here is a silent, light breeze
I was suddenly overcome
Without wavering, without disturbing the surface,
Dozing around.He played in my hair
And it refreshed my cheeks.
Like the May wind, it was quiet,
And my fear disappeared.So fast and light, the ship sailed,
Keeping peace and quiet.
So fast and light, the breeze blew,
Touching only me.Am I dreaming? Is this our lighthouse?
And the church under the hill?
I'm back in my homeland,
I recognize my home.Shocked, I burst into tears!
But we entered the harbor...
Almighty, wake me up
Or extend your sleep forever!The whole coast is dressed in moonlight,
And so the water is clear!
And only shadows here and there
The moon spread out.Both the hill and the church are so bright
In the shining night.
And the sleeping weather vane is silvered
Heavenly rays.The sand was white from the light,
And suddenly - oh, a wonderful moment!
In crimson robes a host of shadows
Emerged from whiteness.Not far from the ship -
A crimson host of shadows.
Then I looked at the deck -
Oh God, on herThere were corpses lying, but I swear
I swear by your cross:
Stood above everyone's heads
Heavenly Seraphim.And each seraph with his hand
He silently waved to me,
And their greeting was wonderful,
Their unspeakable strange light,
How to get to home country.Yes, everyone waved to me
And he called me without words.
Like music in my soul
There was a silent call.And I heard a conversation
I heard the splash of an oar
And, turning around, he saw:
The boat was following us.A fisherman and his son were sitting in it.
Oh, the kindness of the Creator!
Such joy will not kill
Curse of the dead man!And the third was the Hermit there,
Friend of the lost hearts.
He is in praise to the Creator
Spends his leisure time.
He will wash away the Albatross' blood
From my criminal hands.Part seven
The hermit lives in the forest
On the seashore.
He praises God's grace
And he's not averse to talking
With a visiting sailor.He prays three times a day,
He has mastered the language of grass,
And for him a mossy stump -
Luxurious down jacket.The canoe was approaching, and the Fisherman
Said: “But where are the lights?
There were so many of them! Like a lighthouse
They were burning here."“You’re right,” the Hermit answered, “
And the heavens see:
Nobody responds
To our voices.
But how tattered the whole ship is,
The sails have decayed, -Like dead leaves in the forest,
That lie along the stream,
When the snow covered the shoots,
And the owls scream
And the wolf howls more often in the frozen
And eats his wolf cubs."“What fear! - muttered the Fisherman, -
Lord, do not destroy!
“Row! - The hermit ordered
And he repeated: “Row!”The shuttle sailed, but I couldn't
Neither speak nor stand.
The shuttle sailed up. And suddenly water
The surface became agitated.Thunder struck in the abyss, water
Soared into the heights.
Then it opened up, and the ship
He sank like lead.Stunned when the blow
The granite of the earth shook,
I'm like a seven-day corpse
Was carried away by the wave.
But suddenly I felt through the darkness,
That I am in the boat and my Fisherman
He leaned over me.The whirlpool was still seething,
And the boat was spinning in it,
But everything became quiet. Just from the hill
Thunder echoed.I opened my mouth - the Fisherman fell,
He looks like a corpse himself.
The hermit, sitting where he sat,
Prayed to heaven.I took the paddle, but there's a baby
Stupid with fear.
He rolled his eyes and laughed
And he was as pale as chalk.
And suddenly he yelled: “Ho-ho!
The devil sat on the oars!And I'm back in my homeland again,
I can walk on the ground.
I will enter my home again!
The hermit, leaving the boat,
I got to my feet with difficulty.“Listen, listen, holy father!”
But he knitted his eyebrows:
“Tell me quickly - who are you?
And from which sides?And here I am, caught in a snare,
Worried and in a hurry,
He told me everything. And from the chains
From its terrible gravity
The soul was delivered.But from then on, on time
The pain is squeezing my chest.
I have to repeat the story
To shake off this pain.I wander like night from end to end
And with a word I burn hearts
And among thousands I will recognize
Who should confess my
Listen to the end.What a noisy feast, however!
The yard is full of guests.
The bride and groom sing
The choir picks up.
But do you hear the bell calling?
For matins in the cathedral.O Wedding Guest, I have been to the seas
Desert lonely.
In such seas where even God
He couldn't be with me.And may this feast be wonderful,
Much nicer - understand! –
Go to pray at God's temple
With good people.Go with everyone to the bright temple,
Where God listens to us
Go with fathers and sons,
With all the good people,
And pray there.Farewell, farewell, and remember, Guest,
My parting words:
Prayers will reach the Creator,
Prayers to the heart peace will be given,
When you love everyone
And all kinds of animals.When you pray for them
For everyone, both small and large,
And for any flesh,
And you love everything you created
And the Lord loved.”And the Ancient Mariner wandered off,
The burning gaze went out.
And the Wedding Guest left,
Bypassing the noisy courtyard.He walked insensitive, deaf
For good and bad.
And yet others - smarter, sadder -
I woke up in the morning.
Samuel Coleridge "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", another translation of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Poem English poet Samuel Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, written 1797-1799 and first published in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads. The earliest literary adaptation of the legend of the Flying Dutchman. Freely translated into Russian by N. S. Gumilyov in 1919.
Samuel Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Illustrator Gustave Doré.
Coleridge by Andrew Lang.
Published 1898 by Longmans, Green, & co. in London, New York.
Illustrated by Patten Wilson. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Samuel Coleridge "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." Artist Patten Wilson.
This poem takes central place in Coleridge's legacy. A traveler on his way to a wedding feast is suddenly stopped by an old man, who attracts attention by the unusualness of his appearance and hypnotic gaze. This is an old sailor who committed a serious crime and was forced by order higher powers redeem him with a story about your deed. During long voyage he killed the sacred albatross bird and thereby brought terrible punishments upon himself and his comrades. The crew of the ship dies in agony, the sea begins to rot, on which the dead ship, inhabited by ghosts, floats.
Only one old sailor remains alive, but he is haunted by visions. The traveler is shocked by the old sailor's story; he forgets about the wedding feast and all the worries of life. The old sailor's story reveals a secret to the traveler, surrounding a person in life. In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner the romantic critique of urban civilization is taken to its extreme. The world of the business city seems as dead as a graveyard; the activity of its inhabitants is ghostly, that Life-in-Death, the image of which is one of the most powerful in the poem. Full of deep meaning for Coleridge and his admiration for nature as a “harmonious system of Movement.” The killing of the albatross, which violates this harmony, acquires symbolic meaning in the poem.
This is a crime against Life itself. In the philosophical and poetic context, the punishment that befalls the Sailor is also understandable: having willfully violated the great harmony of existence, he pays for this by alienation from people. At the same time, the meaning of that episode of “The Tale” becomes clear, where the Sailor is resurrected in soul, admiring the bizarre play of sea snakes. There is some artistic dissonance in the edifying lines of the finale of the work. To convey the tragedy of loneliness, Coleridge widely uses “suggestive” techniques: hints, omissions, fugitive but meaningful symbolic details. Coleridge was the first of the English romantics to introduce into “high” poetry a free, “irregular” tonic meter, independent of the count of syllables and subject only to the rhythm of stress, the number of which fluctuates in each line.
“I willingly believe that in the universe there are more invisible than visible beings. But who will explain to us all their multitude, character, mutual and family connections, distinctive features and properties of each of them? What do they do? Where do they live? The human mind has only skimmed around the answers to these questions, but never comprehended them. However, without a doubt, it is sometimes pleasant to paint in your mind's eye, as in a picture, an image of a bigger and better world: so that the mind, accustomed to the trifles of everyday life, does not become confined within too narrow boundaries and did not become completely immersed in petty thoughts. But at the same time, we must constantly remember the truth and observe due measure, so that we can distinguish the reliable from the unreliable, day from night."
- Thomas Barnett. Philosophy of antiquity, p. 68 (lat.)
How did it all start?
The reason for the creation of this poem may have been the second exploration expedition of James Cook (1772-1775) South Seas and the Pacific Ocean. Former mentor Coleridge, William Wales was an astronomer on Cook's flagship and was in close contact with the captain. On his second expedition, Cook repeatedly went beyond the Antarctic Arctic Circle to see if the legendary southern continent existed.
Critics also believed that the poem may have been inspired by Thomas James' voyage to the Arctic. Some critics are inclined to believe that Coleridge used James's descriptions of hardship and suffering in creating The Ancient Mariner's Tale.
According to William Wordsworth, the idea for the poem arose during a walking excursion by Coleridge, Wordsworth and Wordsworth's sister Dorothy through the Quantock Hills in Somerset in the spring of 1798. The conversation turned to the book that Wordsworth was reading at the time, " Trip around the world Across the Great Southern Sea" (1726), written by Captain George Shelvock. In the book, a melancholy sailor, Simon Hatley, shoots a black albatross:
"We have all noticed that since we approached southern straits sea, we saw not a single fish, not a single sea bird, except the disconsolate black albatross, which accompanied us for several days, until Hatley, (my second captain) noticed in one of his fits of melancholy that this bird was constantly hovering near us, and did not imagine, judging by its color, that this should be an omen of any misfortune... After several unsuccessful attempts, he shot the albatross, without doubting that after that the wind would become favorable for us.”
During a discussion of Shelvock's book, Wordsworth proposed to Coleridge the following development of the plot, which was mainly reduced to a tutelary spirit: "Suppose you represent how a sailor killed one of these birds when he came to the South Sea, and how the tutelary spirits of these places took upon themselves the burden of avenging the crime." By the time the trio finished their walk, the poem had taken shape. Bernard Martin states in the article "The Ancient Mariner and true story"that Coleridge was also influenced by the life of Anglican priest John Newton, who suffered a near-death experience aboard a slave ship.
The poem may have been inspired by the myth of Agasphere, or the Eternal Jew, who was forced to wander the earth until Judgment Day for mocking Christ on the day of the crucifixion, as well as the legend of the Flying Dutchman.
The poem received mixed reviews from critics, and the publisher once told Coleridge that most of the books were sold to sailors who believed it was a naval songbook. In subsequent years, Coleridge made some changes to the poem. In the second edition of Lyrical Ballads, published in 1800, he replaced many archaic words.
Poem.
Translation. V. Levika
Print Source: Samuel Taylor COLERIDGE Selected Lyrics, Poems.
Translation from English. Publishing house LITERARY FOUNDATION "AXULZ" Chisinau.
OCR"il and spellcheck"il A. Bondarev
THE TALE OF THE ANCIENT SAILOR
In seven parts
"I readily believe that in the universe there are more invisible than visible
creatures But who will explain to us all their multitude, character, mutual and
family ties, distinctive features and properties of each of them? What are they
do? Where do they live? The human mind has only skimmed around the answers to these
questions, but never comprehended them. However, without a doubt, it is pleasant
sometimes draw in your mind's eye, like in a painting, an image of a larger and
better world: so that the mind, accustomed to the trifles of everyday life, does not become isolated in
too narrow a framework and was not completely immersed in petty thoughts. But at the same time
time we must constantly remember the truth and observe due measure so that we
could distinguish the reliable from the unreliable, day from night." T. Barnett.
Philosophy of antiquity, p.68 (lat.).
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About how the ship, having crossed the Equator, was carried into the country by storms
eternal ice at the South Pole; and how from there the ship proceeded to the tropical
latitude of the Great, or Pacific Ocean; and about strange things that
happened; and how the Ancient Mariner returned to his homeland.
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* PART ONE *
you, old man? Your eyes are burning!
Live! The wedding feast is in full swing, the Groom is my close friend. Everyone is waiting
for a long time, the wine is boiling, and the noisy circle is cheerful."
He holds it with a tenacious hand. “And there was,” he says, “a brig.” "Let me go"
gray-bearded jester!" - And the old man let go.
He keeps his burning gaze, And the Guest does not enter the house; As if enchanted,
stands before the Old Mariner.
And, subdued, he sits down on the stone at the gate, and with his gaze he casts lightning and
Said the Sailor:
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"There is noise in the crowd, the rope creaks, a flag is raised on the mast. And we are sailing, here
father's house, here is the church, here is the lighthouse.
And the Sun on the left rose, Beautiful and bright, Shining for us, and descended to the waves
And to the right it went deeper.
The sun is getting higher every day, It's getting hotter every day..." But then
The Wedding Guest rushed forward, Hearing the trumpet thunder.
The bride entered the hall, fresh, like a lily in spring. Before her, swaying in
tact, the intoxicated choir walks.
The Marriage Guest rushed there, But no, he won’t leave! And a glimpse of lightning
threw. And the Sailor said:
"And suddenly, from the kingdom of winter blizzards, a fierce squall rushed in. He angrily
He beat us with his wings, He bent and tore the masts.
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As if from chains, from slave bonds, Afraid of the scourge to taste the taste, He runs away from battle.
quitting, coward. Our brig flew forward, covered in a storm of torn cordage,
the expanse of raging swells, in the darkness of polar waters.
Here the fog fell on the ocean - Oh, miracle! - the water burns! They float, burning like
emerald, sparkling, blocks of ice.
In the midst of whiteness, blinded, Through the wild world we walked - Into the desert of ice, where
there is no trace of neither life nor earth.
Where there is ice on the right and ice on the left, Only dead ice all around, Only crackling.
breaking blocks, only roar, roar and thunder.
And suddenly, drawing a circle above us, the Albatross flew by. And everyone, a white bird
glad, As if he were a friend or brother, He offered praise to the Creator.
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He flew to us, took unusual food from our hands, and with a roar
the ice opened up, and our ship, entering the span, left the kingdom of icy waters,
Where the storm raged.
A fair wind rose from the south, The Albatross was with us, And he called the bird, and with it
played, The sailor fed her!
As soon as the day passes, as soon as the shadow falls, Our guest is already at the stern. And nine times a
evening hour, the moon, accompanying us, rose in the white darkness."
"How strange you look, Sailor,
Is the demon bothering you? The Lord is with you!" - "With my arrow! There was an Albatross
killed.
PART TWO
And on the right is the bright disk of the Sun
Ascended into the sky.
At the zenith he hesitated for a long time
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And on the left, stained with blood, he fell into the abyss of water.
The wind rushes us, but does not fly off onto the ship Albatross, so that it gives stern, so that
The sailor played with him and caressed him.
When I committed the murder
The friends' gaze was stern:
Like, cursed is the one who beats the bird,
Lady of the winds.
Oh, how can we be, how can we resurrect
Lady of the winds?
. When the light of day has risen,
Light as God's brow
Praises poured in:
".
Like, happy is the one who beats the bird,
Bad bird of darkness.
He saved the ship, he brought us out,
He killed the bird of darkness.
- And the breeze played, and the shaft rose,
And our free rabble sailed
Forward to the limit of silent waters,
Uninvited latitudes.
But the wind died down, but the sail lay down, the ship slowed down,
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And everyone suddenly started talking,
To hear at least a single sound
In the silence of dead waters!
The hot copper sky is streaming with heavy heat. Above the mast the sun is all in
blood, The size of the moon.
And the plain of waters will not splash, The face of Heaven will not tremble. Or the ocean is drawn
is the brig drawn?
There is water all around, but how the board cracks from the dryness! There's water all around, but nothing to drink
Not a drop, not a sip.
And it seems that the sea began to rot, - Oh God, there will be trouble! Crawled, grew,
entwined into balls, the slugs stuck together in clumps on the slimy water.
Winding, spinning, it lit up all around
The lights of death are hazy.
Water is white, yellow, red,
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Like oil in a sorcerer's lamp, it glowed and blossomed.
And the Spirit that pursued us appeared to us in a dream. From the kingdom of ice behind us
He swam in the blue depths.
And everyone looks at me, But everyone is like a corpse. Tongue swollen and
dry, hanging from black lips.
And every glance curses me. Although the lips are silent, And the dead Albatross is on
Hangs for me instead of the cross.
PART THREE
Bad days have come. Larynx
Dry. And darkness in the eyes.
Bad days! Bad days!
What darkness in the eyes!
But suddenly I'm at the dawn of something
Spotted in the sky.
At first it seemed like there was a spot
Or a clot of sea mist.
No, not a spot, not a haze - an object,
Is it an object? But which one?
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Spot? Fog. Or a sail? -- No! But it’s getting closer, floating. Neither give nor take,
the elf plays, dives, twists loops.
From our black lips neither a cry nor a laugh escaped at that moment, There was in it
mouth and my tongue, Only my mouth twisted. Then I bit my finger and my throat bled
watered, I shouted with all my strength: “The ship! The ship is coming!”
They look, but their gaze is empty, Their black lips are silent, But I was heard,
And as if a ray flashed from the clouds, And everyone took a deep breath, As if he was drinking,
drank...
“Friends (I shouted) someone’s barque! We will be saved!” But he goes and is raised
keel, Although there are hundreds of miles around
No wind, no waves.
A blood-gold sunset blazed in the west.
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and for a moment, as if to a prison window, ready to sink into the depths, the burning
face.
Are they really sails?
There is only one woman there. That's Death! And next to her is Lrugaya. Also
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The Sun was blazing - a red circle Above the red water, And the black was strange
the ghost was between sky and water.
And suddenly (Lord, Lord, listen!) The bars crawled across the Sun like a Lattice,
and for a moment, as if to a prison window, ready to sink into the depths, he fell burning
face.
Floating! (turning pale, I thought) These are miracles! There's a web of cobwebs shining there...
Are they really sails?
And what kind of lattice is there that suddenly dimmed the light of the sun? Or is it a ship
skeleton? Why are there no sailors?
There is only one woman there. That's Death! And next to her is Another. Also
more terrible, more bony and paler - Or is she also Death?
Bloody mouth, sightless gaze, But the hair burns with gold.
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Like lime - the color of the skin. That's Life-and-in-Death, yes, it is! Terrible guest
nights without sleep, Blood-curdling delirium.
The bark was approaching. Death and
Death
They played dice, sitting on a pole. I saw them clearly. And she cried out with laughter
she whose lips are red like blood: “Mine took it, mine!”
The sun went out, and at that same moment the light was replaced by darkness. The ship sailed and
only a wave made a menacing noise after him.
And we look, and there is fear in our eyes,
And fear squeezes our hearts,
And the helmsman is pale.
And darkness and sails splashing,
And dew drips loudly from them,
But from the east it spilled
golden hue,
And the Moon rose from the clouds
With one star between the horns,
Green star.
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And one after another all around
Suddenly they turned to me
In terrible silence
And expressed a silent reproach
Their dull gaze full of torment,
Stop at me.
There were two hundred of them. And without words, one fell, then another... And the sound of falling clay
The sound of their falls was reminiscent of them, short and dull.
And two hundred souls left their bodies - To the limit of good or evil? With a whistle like mine
arrow, The heavy air was cut by Invisible wings."
PART FOUR
"Let go, Sailor! Your withered hand is terrible.
Your gaze is gloomy, your face is darker than the coastal sand.
I'm afraid of your bony hands, of your burning eyes!" "Don't be afraid, Marriage
Guest, alas! I survived the terrible hour.
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Alone, alone, always alone, Alone day and night! And God did not heed my
pleas, I didn’t want to help!
Death took two hundred lives, cut off their thread, and worms, slugs - everything
live, and I must live!
If I look into the sea, I see rot and turn away my gaze. I look at mine
rotting brig - But there are corpses lying around.
I look at heaven, but there is no prayer on my lips. The heart has dried up, as in the steppes
Ashes burned by the sun.
I want to fall asleep, but a terrible burden has fallen on the apple of my eye: the whole expanse of heaven and
The depth of the seas crushes them with its weight, And the dead are at their feet!
Mortal sweat glistened on their faces, but decay did not touch their bodies.
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As in the hour of death, only
Anger from the eyes looked into my eyes.
Fear the orphan's curse -
The saint will be thrown into hell!
But believe me, the curse of dead eyes
A hundred times more terrible:
For seven days I read death in them
And he was not taken by death!
Meanwhile the bright moon floated in the deep blue, and next to him floated
a star, or maybe two.
The water sparkled in their rays, Like fields in frost. But, red reflections
full, Reminiscent of blood wave In the shadow of the ship.
And there, behind the shadow of the ship, I saw sea snakes. They rose like
flowers, And their traces lit up with millions of lights.
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Wherever the shadow did not lie, My gaze distinguished them. Sparkled in the water and above
water Their black, blue, gold and pink pattern.
Oh, the happiness of living and seeing the world -
There is no strength to express it!
I saw a key in the desert -
And blessed life.
I saw the mercy of heaven -
And blessed life.
And my soul threw off the burden, I said a prayer, and at that very moment the
Albatross abyss.
PART FIVE
Oh, sleep, oh, blessed sleep! He is sweet to every creature. You, Most pure,
Praise, You gave people a sweet dream, And the dream overcame me.
I dreamed that the heat was weakening, the sky was getting dark and splashing in the barrels
water. I woke up and it was raining.
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My tongue is wet, my mouth is fresh, I am wet to the skin, and every pore of my body
drinks Life-giving juice.
I get up and my body feels so at ease: Or did I die in my sleep? Or became a disembodied spirit
And heaven opened up to me?
But the wind rustled in the distance, Then again, again, And the sails moved
And they began to swell.
And the air came alive above! Lights came on all around. Near, far - a million
lights, Above, below, among the masts and yards, They hovered around the stars.
And the wind howled, and the sails rustled like a wave. And the rain poured from the black clouds,
The moon floated among them.
The depths of the clouds opened up like a thunderstorm, and the crescent moon was nearby. Lightning rose up
wall,
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It seemed like she was falling like a river down a steep slope.
But the whirlwind was not approaching, and yet the Ship was carried forward! And the dead are pale,
terrible, With the brilliance of lightning and the moon, They sighed heavily.
They sighed, stood up, wandered off, In silence, in silence. I'm on the walking dead
I looked like I was in a bad dream.
And the wind died down, but our brig sailed,
And the helmsman led our brig.
The sailors did their thing,
Who is used to where and how.
But everyone was like a mannequin
Lifeless and faceless.
My brother's son stood shoulder to shoulder with me. We pulled the rope alone, But
he was a dumb corpse."
"Old man, I'm scared!" --
"Listen, Guest, and calm your heart!
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Not the souls of the dead, the victims of evil, returned to their bodies, but the bright ones
swarm of spirits.
And everyone, leaving work at dawn, gathered around the mast, and the sounds of sweet
prayers flowed from their lips.
And every sound soared around - Or flew towards the Sun. And down they rushed
in succession, Or merged into a chorale.
Now the lark trilled from the azure heights, now hundreds of other chirps,
Ringing in the forest thickets, In the fields, above the swell of water.
Now the flute was drowned out by the orchestra, now voices were singing,
To whom, listening on a bright day, the heavens rejoice.
But everything fell silent. Only the sails were noisy until noon. So between the roots of the forest
the stream runs, barely ringing,
140
Cradling the silent forest
And putting him to sleep.
And until noon our brig sailed, moving forward without wind, as smoothly as if
someone led Him across the surface of the waters.
Under the keel, in the dark depths, From the kingdom of blizzards and darkness the Spirit sailed, he came to us
the wind drove winter from the southern kingdoms. But at noon the sails fell silent, and immediately began
We.
The disk hung at the zenith of the Sun
Over my head.
But suddenly, as if from a shock,
Moved a little to the left
And immediately - should we believe our eyes? --
Moved a little to the right.
And, like a struggling horse, he jerked to the side. At that very moment I
Having lost consciousness, He fell as if knocked down.
I don't know how long I lay there
In a heavy, dark sleep.
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And only with difficulty opening my eyes, Through the darkness I heard voices in the air
above.
“Here he is, here he is,” said one, Christ is the Witness, the man
whose evil arrow destroyed the Albatross.
The powerful Spirit loved that bird, whose kingdom is darkness and snow. And he was a bird
We keep it himself, a cruel man."
And a different voice rang out, But sweet as honey: “He deserved his punishment
And he will suffer punishment."
PART SIX First voice
"Don't be silent, don't be silent, Don't disappear into the fog - Whose power so strives
ship? What can you see in the ocean?"
142
Second voice
"Look, how a slave stands before the lord,
He froze humbly,
And a huge eye on the moon
Calmly directed.
whether the path is destructive or clear -
Depends on the Moon.
But she looks kindly
On the sea from above."
First voice
“But how, without wind and without waves, do we drive the ship forward?”
Second voice
"Again before him,
The air closes in behind him again. Back, back! It's late, brother, and soon
the day will return, the ship will go slower and slower, when the sailor wakes up.”
I wake up. We were walking at full speed Under the Stars and the Moon.
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But the dead wandered again, Again they wandered towards me.
As if I were their undertaker, Everyone stood in front of me. Petrified Pupils
eyes sparkled under the moon.
A dying fear froze in the eyes, and a reproach on the lips. And I don't even pray
I could not turn my gaze away.
But the punishment is over. The water was clear all around. I looked into the distance, though
There was no trace of terrible spells, -
So the traveler, whose deserted path
Leads into dangerous darkness
Once it turns around and then
He hurries, quickening his pace,
Without looking back, so as not to know
The enemy is far or near.
And then a silent, light breeze suddenly fanned me,
144
Without trembling, without disturbing the surface Dozing around.
He played in my hair and refreshed my cheeks. Like the May wind, it was quiet,
And my fear disappeared.
So fast and light, the ship sailed, keeping peace and quiet. So fast and easy
the breeze blew, touching only me.
Am I dreaming? Is this our lighthouse? And the church under the hill? I'm back in my homeland,
I recognize my home.
Shocked, I burst into tears! But we entered the harbor... Almighty, wake up
Or extend my sleep forever!
All beret dressed in moonlight, And so the water is clear! And only shadows here and
there the Moon spread out.
And the hill and the church are so bright in the shining night.
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And the sleeping weather vane is silvered by the heavenly rays.
The light made the sand white and sparkling, And suddenly - oh, a wondrous moment! --
In crimson robes a host of shadows
Emerged from whiteness.
Not far from the ship is a crimson host of shadows.
Then I looked at the deck -
Oh God, on her
There were corpses lying, but I swear, I swear by your cross: I stood over everyone in
heads of the Heavenly Seraphim.
And each seraph silently waved his hand to me, And their greeting was wonderful,
Their ineffable, strange light, Like the path to their native country. Yes, everyone to me
He waved his hand and called me without words. Like music, the silent sounded in my soul
call.
And I heard a conversation, I heard the splash of an oar
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And, turning around, he saw: a boat was following us.
A fisherman and his son were sitting in it. Oh, the kindness of the Creator! - Such joy is not
Dead Man's Curse will kill!
And the third was the Hermit there, a friend of the lost hearts. He's in the praises
To the Creator Spends his leisure time. He will wash away the blood of the Albatross from my criminal hands.
PART SEVEN
That hermit lives in the forest on the seashore. He praises God
grace, And he is not averse to talking with a visiting sailor.
He prays three times a day, His tongue has grasped the grass, And for him the mossy stump
-- Luxurious down jacket.
The boat was approaching, and the Fisherman said: “But where are the lights?
147
There were so many of them, like a lighthouse, they burned here."
“You are right,” the Hermit answered, And the heavens see:
Nobody responds
To our voices.
But how tattered the whole ship is,
The sails have decayed, -
Like dead leaves in the forest that lie along the stream, when the shoots snow
covered, And the eagle owls scream, And in the frozen thicket the wolf howls And eats his wolf cubs."
“What fear!” muttered the Fisherman. Lord, do not destroy! "Row!" --
The hermit ordered And repeated “Row!”
The shuttle floated up, but I could neither speak nor stand up. The shuttle sailed up. AND
suddenly the surface of the water became agitated.
Thunder struck in the abyss, the water soared into the heights,
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Then it opened up, and the ship sank like lead.
Stunned when the blow
The granite of the earth shook,
I'm like a seven-day corpse
Was carried away by the wave.
But suddenly I felt through the darkness,
That I am in the boat and my Fisherman
He leaned over me.
The whirlpool was still seething, and the boat was spinning in it. But everything became quiet. Only from
the hill echoed with thunder.
I opened my mouth - the fisherman fell, looking like a corpse himself. Hermit sitting where
sat and prayed to heaven.
I took the oar, but then the baby went crazy with fear. He rolled his eyes, laughed and
he was as pale as chalk. And suddenly he screamed: “Ho-ho! The devil sat on the oars!”
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And I’m in my homeland again, I can walk on the ground, I’ll enter my home again!
The hermit, emerging from the canoe, stood on his feet with difficulty.
"Listen, listen, holy father!"
But HE raised his eyebrows:
“Tell me quickly - who are you? And from which sides?”
And then I, caught in a snare, Worried and in a hurry, told everything. And from
chains, The soul was freed from its terrible weight.
But from then on, at the appointed time, pain squeezes my chest. I have to repeat
a story to shake off this pain.
I wander like night from end to end And with words I burn hearts And among thousands
I will find out who should listen to my confession to the end.
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What a noisy feast, however! The yard is full of guests. The bride and groom sing
The choir picks up. But do you hear the bell calling for matins in the cathedral.
O Wedding Guest, I was alone in the Desert seas. In such seas where
Even God couldn’t be with me.
And let this feast be beautiful, Much nicer - understand! - Go to pray in
God's temple with good people.
Go with everyone to the bright temple, Where God listens to us, Go with the fathers and
children, With all the good people, And pray there.
Farewell, farewell, and remember, Guest, My parting words: Prayers to the Creator
will reach, Prayers will give peace to the heart,
When you love everyone
And all kinds of animals.
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When you pray for them, for everyone, both small and large, and for any flesh,
And you love everything that the Lord has created and loved."
And the old Sailor wandered off, - The burning gaze went out. And the Bridegroom left
Guest, passing the noisy courtyard.
He walked insensitive, deaf to good and bad. And yet to others -
smarter, sadder -Woke up in the morning.