The Poetry Of Coleridge - 5 - Rime of the Ancient Mariner torrent

Beyond the shadow of the ship,
I watched the water-snakes:
They moved in tracks of shining white,
And when they reared, the elfish light
Fell off in hoary flakes.

Within the shadow of the ship
I watched their rich attire:
Blue, glossy green, and velvet black,
They coiled and swam; and every track
Was a flash of golden fire.

O happy living things! no tongue
Their beauty might declare:
A spring of love gushed from my heart,
And I blessed them unaware:
Sure my kind saint took pity on me,
And I blessed them unaware.

The self same moment I could pray;
And from my neck so free
The Albatross fell off, and sank
Like lead into the sea.

(The Mariner is saved by the beauty, terror and delight of the Imagination)


Two dramatized versions of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, each with multiple voices and atmospheric soundscapes but rather different.

The first is distinctly old fashioned and from an unknown source. (late 50s or early 60s at a guess) The readers are first-rate and the audio OK. Weirdly effective in evoking the spectral and fantastic qualities of the poem.

The second is a production by the ABC dating back to November, 2002.