经典名作 The Rime of Ancient Mariner 古水手之歌

The Rime of Ancient Mariner

One detailed analysis

Part I

THE ICE was here, THE ICE was there,

THE ICE was all around:

It cracked and growled, and roared and howled,

Like noises in a swound!

In this stanza, Samuel Taylor Coleridge uses repetition of words and phrases (THE ICE), to create an effect of “casting a spell”. The extent and spread of ice all around the ship has been emphasized with the repetition. The ice was omnipresent.

The author continues to link the sound of the crack of ice with the howling of wild, fierce animals. Words with strong and open vowels like ‘around’, ‘growled’, ‘roared’ and ‘howled’ collectively convey a daunting meaning through their resonant sound. The entire ship is permeated with a restless atmosphere full of panic and fear.

This part is a foreshadowing of (and also a sharp contrast to) the appearance of a blessing Albatross in Part II.

Similar stanzas, note the capitalized words and phrases

Examples:

Part I

The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared,

Merrily did we drop

BELOW, the kirk, BELOW the hill,

BELOW the lighthouse top.

Part II

WATER, WATER, EVERY WHERE,

And all the boards did shrink;

WATER, WATER, EVERY WHERE,

Nor any drop to drink.

ALONE, ALONE, ALL, ALL ALONE, ALONE on a WIDE WIDE sea!

And never a saint took pity on

My soul in agony.