Selections in poetical and prose literature for third class teachers' examination 1902-1903

Preface

The annotations to this volume of selections are as brief as possible. It is felt that good literature within the compass of a student’s comprehension should largely teach itself, and that very little information in the form of notes is required. Only such information is given as is necessary to an understanding of the text.

The selections are supposed to be studied as literature. They are not intended to serve as the basis for grammatical analysis.

The order of study is not necessarily that suggested by the table of contents. There is a time suitable to the study of each selection, and such time should be chosen.

The teacher should be considered simply as a medium between the student and the author. As such, he should be in perfect sympathy with each selection, and reflect its spirit in his voice, look and meaner; he should be in perfect sympathy with his students to such a degree that they are pleased to follow him and anxious to enter with him into new fields of thought.

The suggestive questions following the notes to the poetical selections are not intended to be exhaustive, nor is it supposed that students will accept them as a guide to study. They will be useful in so far as they lead to a closer understanding or clearer appreciation of the thought and expression, or as they give power to distinguish between the worthy and the unworthy in poetical efforts.

iii

Contents

(The figures in brackets indicate the page on which the notes are to be found.)

Page.

Rhoecus (222) 50

PART I. An ancient It js an ancient Mariner

Mariner meet-

eth three Gal- And he stoppeth one of three, lants bidden to 1 1 .

a wedding-feast, “ By thy long gray beard and glittering eye, and detaineth

one. Now wherefore stopp’st thou me ?

“ The Bridegroom’s doors are opened wide, 5 And I am next of kin ;

The guests are met, the feast is set :

May’st hear the merry din. ”

He holds him with his skinny hand,

“There was a ship,” quoth he. 10

“ Hold off! unhand me, gray-beard loon ! ” ; Eftsoons his hand dropt he.

The Wedding- jje holds him with his glittering eye —

Guest is spell- ® J

bound by the The Wedding-Guest stood still,

eye of the old ° ’

seafaring man, And listens like a three years’ child : 15

and constrained .

to hear his tale. The Manner hath his will.

THE ANCIENT MARINER.

The "W edding-Guest sat on a stone : He cannot choose but hear ;

And thus spake on that ancient man, The bright-eyed Mariner : —

“The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared,

Merrily did we drop

Below the kirk, below the hill,

Below the lighthouse top

The Mariner “ The Sun came up upon the left.

tells how the r 1

ship sailed Out of the sea came he !

southward with .. .

a good wind and And he shone bright, and on the right fair weather, till . . , .

it reached the W ent down into the sea. line.

“ Higher and higher every day,

Till over the mast at noon ” —

The Wedding-Guest here beat his breast, For he heard the loud bassoon.

The Wedding- The bride hath paced into the hall,

Guest heareth .

the bridal Bed as a rose is she ;

Mariner con- Nodding their heads before her goes

tinueth his tale. ml .

ihe merry minstrelsy.

The Wedding-Guest he beat his breast, Yet he cannot choose but hear ;

And thus spake on that ancient man, The bright-eyed Mariner.

The ship drawn “And now the storm-blast came, and he by a storm

towards the Was tyrannous and strong : south pole. J ® .

He struck with his o ertaking wings, And chased us south along.

THE ANCIENT MARINER.

As who pursued with yell and blow Still treads the shadow of his foe,

And forward bends his head,

The ship drove fast, loud roared the blast,

And southward aye we fled. 50

And now there came both mist and' snow,

And it grew wondrous cold :

And ice, mast-high, came floating by,

As green as emerald.

and oHearfui6’ And through the drifts, the snowy clifts 55

nonliving thing T>id send a dismal sheen • 1 ;A

was to be seen. ]^or shapes of men nor beasts we ken — i. ?

The ice was all between.

The ice was here, the ice was there,

The ice was all around : 60

It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, Like noises in a swound !

SMned the' At length did cross an Albatross :

ulrough theame Thorough the fog it came ; Jr /

snow-fog, and As if it had been a Christian soul, 65

was received ?

withgreat joy \ye hailed it in Cod’s name.

and hospitality.

It ate the food it ne’er had eat,

And round and round it flew.

The ice did split with a thunder-fit ;

And lo ! the The helmsman steered us through ! 70

Albatross

of good omen, And a good south wind sprung up behind ; the ship° as^t*3 The Albatross did follow,

returned north- A •,

ward through And every day, for food or play,

fog and floating Qame the mariners’ hollo !

THE ANCIENT MARINER.

In mist or cloud, on mast or shroud,

It perched for vespers nine;

Whiles all the night, through fog-smoke white, Glimmered the white moon-shine.”

MarineHnhoa- “ God save thee, ancient Mariner, th^piL^bfrd From the fiends that plague thee thus ! — of good omen. Why look’st thou so ?” — “ With my cross-bow i I shot the Albatross ! ”

<H\JZ vJJefi"

PART II. The Sun now rose upon the right

Out of the sea came he,

Still hid in mist, and on the left Went down into the sea.

And the good south wind still blew behind, But no sweet bird did follow,

Nor any day for food or play Came to the mariners’ hollo !

Hia shipmates And I had done a hellish thing, cry out against o’

the ancient And it would work ’em woe ;

Manner, for 7

killing the bird p0r all averred, I had killed the bird of good luok.

That made the breeze to blow.

Ah wretch ! said they, the bird to slay,

That made the breeze to blow !

R^cTeared^ff ^Tor dim, nor red, God’s own head,

they justify the phe glorious Sun uprist : same, and thus °

make them- Then all averred, I had killed the bird selves accom-

piices in the That brought the fog and mist, crime. ° °

’Twas right, said they, such birds to slay

That bring the fog and mist.

THE ANCIENT MARINER.

The fair breeze continues ; the ship enters the Pacific Ocean, and sails northward, even till it reaches the Line.

The ship hath been suddenly becalmed.

And the Albatross begins to be avenged.

A. spirit had followed them ; one of the invisible inhabitants of this planet, neither

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,

The furrow followed free ;

We were the first that ever burst 105

Into that silent sea.

Down dropt the breeze, the sails dropt down,

’Twas sad as sad could be ;

And we did speak only to break

The silence of the sea ! 110

All in a hot and copper sky,

The bloody Sun, at noon,

Right up above the mast did stand,

No bigger than the Moon.

Day after day, day after day, 115

We stuck, nor breath nor motion;

As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, everywhere,

And all the boards did shrink’; 120

Water, water, everywhere,

Nor any drop to drink.

The very deep did rot : O Christ !

That ever this should be !

Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs 125

Upon the slimy sea.

About, about, in reel and rout The death-fires danced at night ;

The waterTTike a witch’s oils,

Burnt green and blue and white.

departed souls nor angels ; concerning whom the learned Jew, Jpsephus, and the Platonic Constantinopolitan, Michael : Psellus, may be! consulted. ’

They are very numerous, and there is no climate or element without one or more.

THE ANCIENT MARINER.

r:

7*

And some in dreams assured were A Of the spirit that plagued us so ; >

Nine fathom deep he had followed us / From the land of mist and snow.

And every tongue, through utter drought, Was withered at the root;

We could not speak, no more than if We had been choked with soot.

The shipmates, Ah ! well a-day ! what evil looks

m their sore J

distress would Had I from old and young !

fain throw the J 0

whole guilt on Instead of the Cross, the Albatross

the ancient

Mariner ; in sign About my neck was hung, whereof they hang the dead

Part III

There passed a weary time. Each throat Was parched, and glazed each eye.

A weary time ! a weary time !

How glazed each weary eye !

When looking westward, I beheld

Mariner behold- _ _

eth a sign in the A something in the sky.

element afar off.

his neck.

The ancient

At first it seemed a little speck,

And then it seemed a mist :

It moved and moved, and took at last A certain shape, I wist.

A speck, a mist, a shape, I wist !

And still it neared and neared :

And as if it dodged a water-sprite,

It plunged, and tacked, and veered.

At its nearer With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, seemethhim to We could nor laugh nor wail ;

THE ANCIENT MARINER.

be a ship ; and at a dear ransom he freeth his speech from the bonds of thirst.

A flash of joy.

And horror follows ; for can it be a ship that comes onward without wind or tide ?

It seemeth him but the skeleton of a ship.

And its ribs are seen as bars on the face of the setting sun.

The spectrewoman and her

Through utter drought all dumb we stood !

I bit my arm, I sucked the blood, 160

And cried, A sail ! a sail !

With throats unslaked, with black lips baked, Agape they heard me call :

Gramercy ! they for joy did grin, ol

And all at once their breath drew in, 165

As they were drinking all.

See ! see ! (I cried) she tacks no more !

Hither to work us weal ;

Without a breeze, without a tide,

She steadies with upright keel ! 170

The western wave was all a-flame,

The day was well-nigh done !

Almost upon the western wave Rested the broad bright Sun ;

When that strange shape drove suddenly 175 Betwixt us and the Sun.

And straight the Sun was flecked with bars, (Heaven’s Mother send us grace !)

As if through a dungeon-grate he peered

With broad and burning face. 180

Alas ! (thought I, and my heart beat loud)

How fast she nears and nears !

Are those her sails that glance in the Sun,

Like restless gossameres ?

Are those her ribs through which the Sun 185 Did peer, as through a grate ?

And is that Woman all her crew?

THIS ANCIENT MARINER.

death-mate, and no other on board the skeleton ship.

Like vessel, like crew 1

Death and Life-in-Death have diced for the ship’s crew, and she (the latter) winneth the ancient Mariner.

No twilight within the courts of the sun.

At the rising of the moon.

One after another.

Is that a Death ? and are there two ?

Is Death that woman’s mate 1

Her lips were red, her looks were free, 190

Her locks were yellow as gold :

Her skin was as white as leprosy,

The Night-mare Life-in-Death was she,

Who thicks man’s blood with cold.

And the twain were casting dice ;

“ The game is done ! I’ve won, I’ve won ! ”

Quoth she, and whistles thrice.

v

The Sun’s rim dips ; the stars rush out :

At one stride comes the dark ; 200

With far-heard whisper, o’er the sea,

Off shot the spectre-bark.

We listened and looked sideways up !

Fear at my heart, as at a cup,

My life-blood seemed to sip ! 205

The stars were dim, and thick the night,

The steerman’s face by his lamp gleamed white ; From the sails the dew. did drip —

Till clomb above the Eastern bar The horned Moon, with one bright star 210

Within the nether tip.

One after one, by the star-dogged Moon,

Too quick for groan or sigh,

Each turned his face with a ghastly pang,

And cursed me with his eye.

His shipmates drop down dead.

But Life-in- Death begins her work on the ancient Mariner.

■ fr -

THE ANCIENT MARINER. !

3*'vn CA,

AJL^LxJL/ %-vJt

Four times fifty living men,

(And I heard nor sigh nor groan) ^ With heavy thump, a lifeless lump,

They dropped down one by one. Ct v ‘ ' ’ (

The souls did from their bodies fly, — 220

They fled to bliss or woe ! ^ i '

And every soul, it passed me by, ' 1 ' . /•

Like the whizz of my cross-bow !

Part IV

c-id C

-yv^

The Wedding- « j fear thee, ancient Mariner !

guest feareth 7

that a spirit is I fear thy skinny hand ! 225

talking to him. J J

And thou art long, and lank, and brown,

As is the ribbed sea-sand.

I fear thee and thy glittering eye,

And thy skinny hand so brown.” — Mariner as-Cient ^ear n0L ^ear not> tllOU Wedding-Guest ! ids' bodiiyiife This body dropt not down.

and proceedeth to relate his horrible penance.

Alone, alone, all all alone, Alone on a wide wide sea !

And never a saint took pity on My soul in agony.

He despiseth The many men, so beautiful !

the creatures of , „ .

the calm. And they all dead did lie ;

And a thousand thousand slimy things

Lived on ; and so did I.

Andenvieth I looked upon the rotting sea, 240

that they should

live, and so And drew my eyes away ; many he dead, j ^Q0^e(j Up0n the rotting deck,

And there the dead men lay.

THE ANCIENT MARINER.

I looked to heaven, and tried to pray

But or ever a prayer had gusht, 245

A wicked whisper came, and made

My heart as dry as dust.

I closed my lids, and kept them close,

And the balls like pulses beat ;

For the sky and the sea, and the sea and the sky, 250 Lay like a load on my weary eye,

And the dead were at my feet.

But the curse liveth for him in the eye of the dead men.

The cold sweat melted from their b'mbs, Nor rot nor reek did they :

The look with which they looKed on me Had never passed away.

An orphan’s curse would drag to hell

A spirit from on high j

But oh ! more horrible than that

In his loneliness Is the CUrSe in a dead man’S eye ! 260

hedyearneth to Seven days, seven nights, I saw that curse, wards the And yet I could not die.

journeying ^

moon, and the stars that still

sojourn, yet still The moving moon went up the sky, move onward ; . .

and everywhere And nowhere did abide : the blue sky be-

lonjjs tothem, Softly she was going up, 265

appointed rest, And a star or two beside — and their native country and

naturaihomes, Her beams bemocked the sultry main, u?announcld,ter Like April hoar-frost spread ; certainly*^ are But where the ship’s huge shadow lay, therel’s Tsilent The charmed water burnt alway 270

irrivai?heir A still and awful red.

THE ANCIENT MARINER.

By the ngBt of Beyond the shadow of the ship,

the Moon he be- J r 7

hoideth God’s J watched the water-snakes :

creatures of the

They moved in tracks of shining white,

And when they reared, the elfish light 275

Fell off in hoary flakes

Within the shadow of the ship I watched their rich attire :

Blue, glossy green, and velvet black,

They coiled and swam ; and every track 280

Was a flash of golden fire.

O happy living things ! no tongue Their beauty might declare ;

A spring of love gushed from my heart,

And I blessed them unaware ! 285

Sure my kind saint took pity on me,

And I blessed them unaware.

to break begins The selfsame moment I could pray ;

And from my neck so free

The Albatross fell off, and sank 290

Like lead into the sea.