“A sadder and a wiser man
He rose the morrow morn.”The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
In the Lyrical Ballad poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” speaks of a man that commits murder by killing an Albatross and, finally, seeks redemption. His final words are “a sadder and a wiser man/ he rose the morrow morn” leading us to understand that we go through circumstances in life that take us through struggles, but, nonetheless, we are wise because of it. Without going deep into the poem, I’d simply like to extract that we all have done things we are not proud of, but seeking redemption can help you heal. Knowing to forgive yourself is also important for your own sanity. You can get past any situation, if you are truly regretful and allow those situations create a better-wiser you. Key lesson, learning from it, as you can’t be a wiser person if you don’t learn from your mistakes.
On a side note, I fell in love with the Albatross after this poem. This is my favorite animal. An Albatross is a monogamous bird that mates with one Albatross for the rest of their lives. Can you believe that? Yes, and they live to be up to 60 years old. The moment I heard this, 7 years ago, I fell in love. Why use an Albatross in the poem? Well, it has been said, and if I remember correctly from class, the Albatross is said to carry the souls of dead sailors. In fact, the Albatross can be seen as a Christ figure in the poem as, if I remember this, I apologize if I’m wrong, but the Mariner puts him around his neck like a Christ figure. You should read it, it is a beautiful poem, long, but beautiful! I have Perkins “English Romantic Writers” book, but I found it online if you’d like to read it.
Have a great day!
Mrs. Lady Renaissance 