20
By the light of the Moon he beholdeth God's creatures of the great calm.Beyond the shadow of the ship,
I watched the water-snakes:
They moved in tracks of shining white,
And when they reared, the elfish light
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
Was a flash of golden fire.
Their beauty and their happiness.O happy living things! no tongue
Their beauty might declare:
A spring of love gushed from my heart,
He blesseth them in his heart.And I blessed them unaware!
Sure my kind saint took pity on me,
And I blessed them unaware.
The spell begins to break.The self-same moment I could pray;
And from my neck so free
The Albatross fell off, and sank
Like lead into the sea.
