A sculpture of the “Ancient Mariner” stands on the harbour at Watchet in Somerset. Boy, does he look miserable!
The poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is (in my opinion) a pretty sad affair; it tells the story of a Mariner who kills an albatross. The ship is doomed to suffer and the crew are cursed. The Ancient Mariner is forced to carry the albatross corpse tied round his neck by a noose as a punishment/penance. If you want a more detailed analysis, the Wikipedia article is detailed and informative (see The Rime of the Ancient Mariner).
Quotes from the poem are probably more famous than the whole poem: “water, water everywhere, nor any a drop to drink” is one of most-oft quoted. The poor man who first hears the Mariner’s tale of woe leaves “a sadder and a wiser man”.
According to many academics, this “difficult” work is historically significant, marking the beginning of British Romantic literature. My interest is in the theme of guilt and the way Coleridge uses the actions of one seaman to display the idea of consequences following from choices.
Quick to judge, the sailors condemn the Mariner, and blame him for their many troubles. Carrying the dead albatross marks the Mariner out, and also pins everything bad as “your fault.” A very human reaction, finding a scapegoat. Our Mariner accepts the blame, eventually finding some release through telling his story to a wedding guest. But he is doomed to wander the earth, sharing his miserable tale.
I am calling to mind the story if Jonah- called by God to warn Nineveh, he runs away; the encounter with the “large fish” sees Jonah spat onto the beach at Nineveh. Horror of horrors, when Jonah shares the warning from God, the Ninevites dare to repent and so escape judgement. Jonah’s misery is intense and he sulks. Not exactly the model of prophetic success!
In stark contrast, Jesus stands guiltless, accepts a false judgement and pays the penalty of death. Another sad story? Not all of it! For resurrection destroys death, and guilt is replaced by joy and unshakeable hope. The bird appearing in THIS narrative is a Dove, marking the Person and Presence of the Holy Spirit.
Beware the albatross… choose LIFE!
The Reflectionary 