THE CONCLUSION TO PART II.

A LITTLE child, a limber elf,
Singing, dancing to itself,

A fairy thing with red round cheeks
That always finds, and never seeks,
Makes such a vision to the sight
As fills a father's eyes with light;
And pleasures flow in so thick and fast
Upon his heart, that he at last

Must needs express his love's excess
With words of unmeant bitterness.
Perhaps 'tis pretty to force together
Thoughts so all unlike each other;
To mutter and mock a broken charm,
To dally with wrong that does no harm.
Perhaps 'tis tender too and pretty
At each wild word to feel within
A sweet recoil of love and pity.
And what, if in a world of sin

(Oh sorrow and shame should this be true!) Such giddiness of heart and brain.

Comes seldom save from rage and pain,

So talks as it's most used to do.

S. T. COLEridge.

The Rime of

the Ancient Mariner

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 open'd wide, And I am next of kin ;

The guests are met, the feast is set :—
May'st hear the merry din."

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 cheer'd, the harbour clear'd,

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.

66

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 roar'd 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 crack'd and growl'd, and roar'd and howl'd, 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 hail'd 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 steer'd us through!

"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."