he peered,
With broad and burning face.

"Alas!" (thought I, and my heart beat loud)
"How fast she nears and nears!
Are those her sails that glance in the Sun,
Like restless gossameres?"

[And its ribs are seen as bars on the
face of the setting Sun. The spectre-
woman and her death-mate, and no other
on board the skeleton ship. Like vessel,
like crew!]

'Are those her ribs through which the Sun
Did peer, as through a grate?
And is that Woman all her crew?
Is that a DEATH? and are there two?
Is DEATH that woman's mate?"

Her lips were red, her looks were free,
Her locks were yellow as gold:
Her skin was as white as leprosy,
The night-mare LIFE-IN-DEATH was she,
Who thicks man's blood with cold.

[Death and Life-in-Death have diced for
the ship's crew, and she (the latter)
winneth the ancient Mariner.]

The naked hulk alongside came,
And the twain were casting dice;
"The game is done! I 'ye won, I've won!"
Quoth she, and whistles thrice.

The Sun's rim dips; the stars rush out:
At one stride comes the dark;
With far-heard whisper, o'er the sea,
Off shot the spectre-bark.

We listened and looked sideways up!
Fear at my heart, as at a cup,
My life-blood seemed to sip!
The stars were dim, and thick the night,
The steersman's face by his lamp gleamed white;
From the sails the dew did drip--
Till clomb above the eastern bar
The horned Moon, with one bright star
Within the nether tip.

[At the rising of the Moon, one after
another, his shipmates drop down dead.]

One after one, by the star-dogged Moon,
Too quick for groan or sigh,
Each turned his face with a ghastly pang,
And cursed me with his eye.

Four times fifty living men,
(And I heard nor sigh nor groan)
With heavy thump, a lifeless lump,
They dropped down one by one.

[But Life-in-Death begins her work
on the ancient Mariner.]

The souls did from their bodies fly,--
They fled to bliss or woe!
And every soul, it passed me by,
Like the whizz of my cross-bow!

PART IV

[The Wedding-Guest feareth that a spirit
is talking to him; but the ancient Mariner
assureth him of his bodily life, and
proceedeth to relate his horrible penance.]

'I FEAR thee, Ancient Mariner!
I fear thy skinny hand!
And thou art long, and lank, and brown,
As is the ribbed sea-sand.

I fear thee and thy glittering eye,
And thy skinny hand, so brown.'--
'Fear not, fear not, thou Wedding-Guest!
This body dropt not down.

Alone, alon