The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the longest major poem by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, written in 1797–98 and published in 1798 in the first edition of Lyrical Ballads. Some modern editions use a revised version printed in 1817 that featured a gloss.
The story presented in the poem is narrated by a sailor, or mariner, who is compelled to tell his tale to certain people he encounters. The ship on which the mariner works experiences good fortune until the mariner shoots a friendly albatross with his crossbow. After this event, the ship and its crew seem to be cursed.
The story presented in the poem is narrated by a sailor, or mariner, who is compelled to tell his tale to certain people he encounters. The ship on which the mariner works experiences good fortune until the mariner shoots a friendly albatross with his crossbow. After this event, the ship and its crew seem to be cursed.