


Day after day the albatross appears, appearing in the morning when the sailors call for it, and soaring behind the ship. The sailors greet it as a good omen, and a new wind rises up, propelling the ship. An Albatross breaks the pristine lifelessness of the Antarctic. A tremendous storm then blows the ship even further to the South Pole, where the crew are awed as they encounter mist, snow, cold, and giant glaciers. The Mariner’s story begins with the ship leaving harbor and sailing southward. Despite the Wedding Guest’s efforts to leave, the Mariner continues to speak. The Mariner stops the young man to tell him the story of a ship, providing no introduction but simply beginning his tale. The poem begins by introducing the Ancient Mariner, who, with his “glittering eye,” stops a Wedding Guest from attending a nearby wedding celebration.
