Contest Entries Hall of Fame Poems

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner – Rewritten [POEM]

the_albatross_about_my_neck_was_hung_by_william_strang
Written by Vrushab Rao
An adaptation – Written as Part of Twist A Story Contest
During a wedding, he being next of kin
The wedding guest entered the hall.
A man did hold his hand, and turned hum towards him
There he was, an ancient mariner, sitting amongst all.

“I shall tell the story of a mariner,
It hath four sometime been me.”
“Oh no!” said the wedding guest,
“Just let me go free.”

“With a thrust of fear did he let go
But the guest did not leave.
The grey-green eyes with a flush off ferocious red
With it a rapport did he weave. 

“The sky was clear, shallow waves drew near
Seagulls flew nearby.
The crew was ready to head on steady
When the sun was right up high.

“The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared
It was the time of noon.”
The wedding guest beat his breast
Fur he heard the loud bassoon.

The mariner did not hold, yet held with hid eyes
And went in with his tale.
“The mast was high, the wind passed by
We swam with the mild gale.

“Then came the storm thundering
The waves were of mast height
It frightened me three crew men to death
As we were kissing my friend by slight.

“A day and two we went on trail Southwards to avoid the storm.
Cyclones and hurricanes did we encounter
As bulbous as a giant corm.

“We prayed to nature, to show some relenting nature
And boy did he heart or call.”
The wedding guest now beat his breast
For the bride hath traversed the hall.

“Then came as a saviour an albatross
With it’s giant wings opened apart.
It guided its through the storm to calm waters
As a house does to it’s cart.

“It took us round for days together
But no escape seemed to show.
Icebergs mast high came flossing by
And it did break ’em with a blow.

“Wretched it is, a mirage of the sea
It hath come to murder us in times off need
Perching each day at the Angelus, to guide us,
One day I did the deed.

“Fellow mariners hailed, as out of the storm we sailed
As the last iceberg shattered, I had shot down the bird
Calm water with the necessary winds followed
That surely, said my fellow sailors, was death in the name of the word.

“Four days together we did sail trying to regain course.
Not once did we encounter any sort of gloom…”
The wedding now beat his breast
For the bride had wed the groom.

“But our words were cursed, the bad was nursed
We encountered our stark terror.
There was no wind, no water current
The ship was stuck in an ocean alias moor.

“Weeks together came and went away
But the ship still did not budge.
The was ending, our voyage pending
But it seemed we were sinking in the sludge.

“The waste was like witches oils
The starboard and boards did decay.
No sign of life seemed to be around here
Just spellbound water and dismay.

Fellow mates said, “The captain was wrong to end the albatross’ breath song
He has put us into such a malevolent cause.”
The wedding guest now beat his breast
For he heard the final ceremonial applause.

“Lead mariner had to be punished
For bringing us to our end’s brink.
There was no food but water everywhere
But not a drop to drink.

“I protested against their choice, but before three I had no voice.
They wanted to punish me and I was stung.
I was a just king, so I let them do feel their sting
They albatross around my neck was hung.

“That night a wind blew our ship
By a small distance ahead
But that was it we were now in a fit
‘Coz of a sky smothered in lead.

“Then two more albatross hovered above the dips crosses,
And the mariners began to pray, sing and dance.
‘Sacrifice of the murderer’s life’ , they say
‘Shall pray them another chance.’

“With the albatross still around my neck
I agreed to dive into the cauldron below.
My the ocean truly had a spell in motion,
For the bird grew alive add gave a hollow!

“It cut the harness with which it was tied
Around my neck and flew in zeal.”
The wedding guest beat his breast
For it was the time it’d the matrimonial meal.

“As it reached it’s fellow family
The bird dropped below injured
Unable to fly, it’s brothers flew it high
Then a magic had been conjured.

“As the two albatross took the third eastwards,
Me ahead of my cursed and wretched boat
At a distance near the horizon’s stance
A giant ship stood afloat.

” ‘Magical art thou!’ my compatriots exclaimed
For I had, metaphorically, hit two birds with an arrow.
The men were alive, their minds (in happiness) were naïve,
Towards our saviour ship did we row.

“We had no boat, to row afloat
Till our grateful destination
Over hull planks we sailed to the ship
To get amnesty and resurrection.

“From nearby the ship seemed fabulously familiar
Someone in my previous crew had this kind.
Yes I remembered, it was my brother’s ship!
The information had brought Mr out of the blind.

“Let us wait till day till we enter it’s fray
It is not safe at night!
‘ You are crazed in happiness sire!
That you ain’t seeing the side so bright.’

“My mouth was dry, my numb tongue didn’t want to lie
So I cut my hand my sipped my blood.
That ship is haunted, by evil it is daunted
With curses your life shall flood.

“Buy they did but care and entered the devil’s lair
Adv my fears were put aside.
From closeby the ship looked as beautiful ad the sky
There was no sign of being terrified.

“The interior was dark, the terror was stark
I had now realised my fault.”
The wedding guest now beat his breast
For he did not want the rime to halt.

“I lost my men in the sanguinous den
Into one of the end rooms did I enter.
At the corner mirror I saw everybody’s fear
It wasn’t my reflection, it was death in the mirror’s center.

“I called for my sailors to tell me where they were
But just a scream was all I heard from below.
Me did they evade, their life did they bade
They were dead in the basement hall, their body was soulless and hollow.

“The albatross that I had shot
Now hovered and flew above me
Suddenly it sat on my shoulder and fell dead
Around my neck it was hung again, as if it were it’s destiny.

“On the wall was an inscription, in a tongue unknown to all
Yet I understood each word of my new host.
‘Thou art the slave, thine soul serves our master.'”
Exclaimed the wedding guest, “Thou art a ghost!”

“My story, hath not ended yet, ends with glory.
Listen to it, thou need not interrupt.
Skimming above the bodies, a spirit was inspecting
And suddenly, it’s brightness to extreme limits did erupt!

“That’s when I saw, there were not just three pair of paws
But the hall was filled with lives obsolete
‘ Hello,’ said the spirit to me
Caressing his dead fleet.

“I was scared to death and out of breath
And I ran towards the only exit.
But there a shady-glowing yeoman stood
Who escalated My frightening fit.

“What art thou and what is thine wish?
I asked the two ghost brothers.
‘ Our wish is simple, oh little dimple
You are our family, but none other!’

“So that was how they taunt and haunt
Their new members off the crew.
Stay sway from me, I yelled and ran
To the open boards where the wind blew.

“The water around the ship was now surrounded by floating chimera.
They looked toxic and hungry for man’s meat.
I gathered my dare and took in my guts
For I wasn’t going to allow them a treat.

“Then something miraculous happened
As the last person you want to meet came out
Life and life-in-death were the spirits who I had down there below
But the miracle was in the sea, a possible bout.

“The king chimera rose above the sea, gigantic was he
‘ Thou art my meal, so fall on my heel!’
The monster challenged, but my martyrs were not avenged
I was not the one to make a deal.

“You come closer, I shall give thou death
Our suffering till the final breath.
Thou stay away,I shall give thou penance and a new life
And bless you with prosperity, but thou have to secure my life.

“The chimeras hath been so feeble, my words made it tremble,
It went paces back and asked me to bless
Thine choice is good forever yonder, to bless I don’t need to ponder.
Thou shall guard this benefaction and mess.

“Two curses had ended, my crimes had been mended
As the albatross grew to life
It was free, but it circled only above me
And it cane and sat on my shoulder, skinny as a knife.

” ‘ Thou hath to be exiled, before thine penance gets defiled.’
Said the two ghosts to me emotionless.
‘ The hermit shall take thou to a land where you need not bow
Fined thineself a crewmember, who can sustain us and thou.’

“I wanted to stay, but they let me astray.
The corpses just stood and began to work and steer.
Even though I was going back safe,
On my face add mind there was no cheer.

“The hermit sailed through the storm that hailed
And I was back on the safe shore.
But puzzles in my mind still needed answers
That emptiness I abhor!

“An angel they sent with me
To guide me to where they are.
With a true merchant of the sea I hope to return and enchant
Those on that ship in a land afar.

“I ask thou, at the end of my rime
Will thou accompany me?
Thou art precious, thine mind so calm,
That I may get my glee.”

“Thou please return with your angel, I ain’t coming now.
Thou lied to me, the whole story! Those who come with thou always die.
Thou three brothers are clever fellers,”said the guest,
“AND THOU ART DEATH! AND DEATH SHALL NEVER DIE!!”

“I hath been blessed by life to recognize death when thou arrive
But now I don’t want to accompany you.
Your burden hath been reduced , by telling the fable.
Thou have failed and that is true.”

The mariner guised death, returned to his brothers
He had failed in taking another soul to fly.
The albatross was his own, that mirror was the truth.
But no success, he realized, came with a lie.

The wedding guest to did not see the bride
And the ceremony they had gardened.
The wedding guest finally beat his breast
For his life was forever saddened.

This re-telling of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Vrushab Rao won the 1st Prize in the Twist-A-Tale contest on Tell-A-Tale. Find other winning entries here.

Read more poems here.

More poems by Vrushab Rao here

About the author

Vrushab Rao

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