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115th out of 191 books
—
72 voters
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems
Samuel Taylor Coleridge asserted that his aim in writing this great narrative poem was to make the supernatural seem real. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is admired for its fluid meter and masterly structure, accurate observation of sensuous detail and its wholly mystic power.
Paperback, 80 pages
Published
September 18th 1992
by Dover Publications
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Top eight (top ten, but in octal) ways to announce general failure to the surrounding area at work (back before telecommuting paradise anyway, w00t):
8) The plane has hit the fucking mountain!
7) I wish someone knew how computers worked around here
6) lpt0: printer on fire
5) Mr. McKitchrick, after careful consideration, I think our system: sucks
4) We're gonna need a bigger boat!
3) OH SHIT THERE'S A HORSE IN THE HOSPITAL
2) FUCK ME THE RINGBUFFER IS FULL
...and the number one way to let people know th...more
8) The plane has hit the fucking mountain!
7) I wish someone knew how computers worked around here
6) lpt0: printer on fire
5) Mr. McKitchrick, after careful consideration, I think our system: sucks
4) We're gonna need a bigger boat!
3) OH SHIT THERE'S A HORSE IN THE HOSPITAL
2) FUCK ME THE RINGBUFFER IS FULL
...and the number one way to let people know th...more
The poem itself is about a Mariner who is telling his tale of sin and forgiveness by God. The Mariner is supposedly responsible for the death of all of the crew on his ship because of his killing of a creature(Albatross) which was to bring them the wind that they needed to put power into the sails of the ship. The whole point of the poem is to encourage or convince the reader to believe the tale that Coleridge tells.
A wonderfully written story! Having finished this short poem I felt an urgent ne...more
A wonderfully written story! Having finished this short poem I felt an urgent ne...more
Wordsworth = namby-pamby, insipid, pompous, daffodil-snorter.
Coleridge rocks, though he did have a substance abuse problem.
Coleridge rocks, though he did have a substance abuse problem.
I actually really enjoyed "The Rime of the ancient Mariner." I thought it was a poem that was really well written considering Coleridge's drug addiction. Even without knowing/understanding the deeper meaning of this piece I still appreciate the story itself, it was very interesting to read and I think it has a great message. I am not much for poems or stories such as this nor am I a very religious person but I really enjoyed this and I recommend it to anyone, even if they feel like this isn't so...more
Albatross Hunters of the Caribbean
This is a very long poem about a group of men who set off without a sat-nav system to *spoiler alert* shoot an albatross. They know this is a bad idea, but they do it anyway. The man who eventually shoots the albatross is cunningly referred to as “the Ancient Mariner” (the AM) to ensure that the name of his family is not brought into disrepute. Having shot the bird, the soul of the AM is doomed to wander the earth, gate-crashing weddings and scaring the guests....more
This is a very long poem about a group of men who set off without a sat-nav system to *spoiler alert* shoot an albatross. They know this is a bad idea, but they do it anyway. The man who eventually shoots the albatross is cunningly referred to as “the Ancient Mariner” (the AM) to ensure that the name of his family is not brought into disrepute. Having shot the bird, the soul of the AM is doomed to wander the earth, gate-crashing weddings and scaring the guests....more
This is more of a musing than a review! It was nice to revisit these poems that I probably haven't read in full for many years. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is especially dear to me since I remember discussing it after a first read with my grandma who had read it while she was in school. There was something fantastic about that. I enjoyed rereading the other poems as well and be able to look at them in a different light than when I was 17. I knew there was a reason I had kept this on my shelf...more
I'm glad that Folio Society dedicated their efforts to such short work, and in a single volume. The wood engravings by Garrick Palmer have the same gothic tone even if they are a little too abstract for my taste. I think that Palmer also did the wood engravings for the Folio Society's Moby Dick as well. [return][return]The poem itself is haunting and clever. I particularly like the moral of not hurting animals linked with the superstitions of sailors. I however fail to see all the connections to...more
My father and I had little in common throughout my life and though he has now passed on, the one thing we did have that I will always recall with fondness was a passion for this particular poem (which he could quote at will) and of course some of Tennyson's works, which I will comment on elsewhere. How is it possible that a poem can transcend the emotions and carry one away to the beat of iambic pentametre? I'm not sure but what I do know is that this is what it does for me...out on the lonely o...more
(Ignore the part that says "and Other Poems". I couldn't find an edition with just The Rime in it.)
I recently read this for a second time for my British Literature class. The first time I read it I believe I was 13 or so, and didn't like it at all... but then I didn't like most poetry then. The second time around I enjoyed it very much. Coleridge can tend to the melodramatic side of poetry, but he keeps himself reined in here. The rhyme scheme is particularly delightful, especially with the wor...more
I recently read this for a second time for my British Literature class. The first time I read it I believe I was 13 or so, and didn't like it at all... but then I didn't like most poetry then. The second time around I enjoyed it very much. Coleridge can tend to the melodramatic side of poetry, but he keeps himself reined in here. The rhyme scheme is particularly delightful, especially with the wor...more
Dec 30, 2012
Carl Macki
added it
Recommends it for:
poets and artists
Recommended to Carl by:
my high school teacher
I drank deeply of Coleridge in my youth. Now I am drawn back to him in my experience.
Read all the poems in this book but The Rime of The Ancient Mariner was my favourite. Its a very long poem, however I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The use of metaphors throughout is amazing and the style is brilliant. I really enjoyed the idea and the plot of the mariner retelling his terrible sea journey.
I read this book for an exam for A-Level but have since revisted it and read it again and still thoroughly enjoy it.
I read this book for an exam for A-Level but have since revisted it and read it again and still thoroughly enjoy it.
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is one of my favourite poems. Other poems I have had the pleasure of reading by S. T. Coleridge are Kubla Khan, Frost at Midnight and Cristabel. I like the former two but was not very keen on Cristabel. Anyhow, his ideas are very interesting asnd the elements of the romantic era are both present and rather pleasing in his poems. I hope to find time to read more of his poems in the future.
Maybe I haven't read enough poetry to tell whether Coleridge's verses are extraordinary or not, but there was certainly something strangely alluring about reading "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" and "Christabel". Or may what makes these poems so fascinating is that I'll have to go back and re-read them if I ever wan to truly grasp their meanings; either way, these were great poems to read for the first time.
I would give "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" or "Kubla Kahn" five stars easily, but a lot of the poetry in the book beyond that didn't do much for me. Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a brilliant writer of the more supernaturally minded poems, and his verses of love are generally rather good. Personally, I'm a bit uncomfortable reading this, as I really haven't a lot of experience with anything beyond the epic poems.
Hope, Imagination, honourable Aims,
Free Commune with the choir that cannot die,
Science and Song, delight in little things,
The buoyant child surviving in the man ;
Fields, forests, ancient mountains, ocean, sky,
With all their voices--O dare I accuse
My earthly lot as guilty of my spleen,
Or call my destiny niggard ! O no ! no !
It is her largeness, and her overflow,
Which being incomplete, disquieteth me so !
Free Commune with the choir that cannot die,
Science and Song, delight in little things,
The buoyant child surviving in the man ;
Fields, forests, ancient mountains, ocean, sky,
With all their voices--O dare I accuse
My earthly lot as guilty of my spleen,
Or call my destiny niggard ! O no ! no !
It is her largeness, and her overflow,
Which being incomplete, disquieteth me so !
Not my fav work of poetry but I just wanted to take the time to state that I think Coleridge was/is underrated. I know that sounds silly considering he's widely recognized as a literary great but by comparison to the fanfare (exagerrated in my opinion)received by his contemporary, Wordsworth, Coleridge has been underappreciated, most unjustly so.
I am not a huge Cooleridge fan, but if you are simply looking to read the Rime of the Ancient Mariner and not too interested in the other poems, this is the perfect book for you. The poem is annotated for those who are interested in some of the lesser known facets of the poem.
All metalheads had a little edge on their alternative-rock peers in high school when it came to the romantic poets because of Iron Maiden, which is how I came across this too. Coleridge writes the scariest, weirdest stuff, without being psychedelic, just pure badassery.
So I read this for one of my British Lit classes and I had to read it a few times over to really get everything because the first time I read it I was half asleep. Each time I read it the more I liked it. It has a good theme to value each living creature.
"Water Water everywhere and not a drop to drink..."
So many memorable lines accompany this story of a crew lost at sea that turn to desperate measures after one member shoots an albatross. Read on!
"As Idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean..."
So many memorable lines accompany this story of a crew lost at sea that turn to desperate measures after one member shoots an albatross. Read on!
"As Idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean..."
title poem is so lovely. my pa used to read it to me as bedtime story
just been re-read to at bedtime, ah, best time to hear it just put this James Mason version on my shopping cart (sigh) at the store...How sinister and ideal is his voice for this poem.
just been re-read to at bedtime, ah, best time to hear it just put this James Mason version on my shopping cart (sigh) at the store...How sinister and ideal is his voice for this poem.
Of course, these poems are great. I revisited these on a whim and I'm glad I did. I forgot how much of a narrative bias Coleridge had.
This Dover edition is ho hum. Nothing but the bare poems, but hey, my copy cost me $1.
This Dover edition is ho hum. Nothing but the bare poems, but hey, my copy cost me $1.
when i was 13, my year 9 english teacher, mr lopez, had me rewrite this entire poem. i made it about a bus journey to school. i can't remember what took the place of the albatross. it was obviously riveting.
My high school English teacher gave me this tiny little book. Honestly, I didn't take much away from the content (which was well-written, if not memorable), but it has nostalgic value.
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is my all-time favorite poem. Even though Coleridge was flying high on opiates, this poem is brilliant and lots of Christian allegories can be found.
"Water, Water Everywhere..." Everyone should read the Rime of the Ancient Mariner. I was so surprised at how many every day sayings are from this peice of Literature.
Quite an Intersting Poem. Colderige is definetly inspired by MacBeth (Shakespeare) as there are quotes similar to that. Very Good poem to read though (:
A bit on "Rime of the Ancient Mariner," particularly the epigraph at my blog.
"Instead of a cross, an albatross
about my neck was hung!"
Great poem. I'm not the sort of person to enjoy sea poetry. I loved this one.
about my neck was hung!"
Great poem. I'm not the sort of person to enjoy sea poetry. I loved this one.
I always read this before reading Dirk Gently's Detective Agency. That way I'm all ready to go so I don't miss anything! :)
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Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, critic, and philosopher who was, along with his friend William Wordsworth, one of the founders of the Romantic Movement in England and one of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla Khan, as well as his major prose work Biographia Literaria.
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Feb 18, 2010 11:43am