The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

By: Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Narrated by: B.J. Harrison

A bird of good omen is murdered. A fickle crew is punished by supernatural, spectral beings. A skeletal ship is sighted moving against the wind and tide. The figure of Death along with a singular, gruesome companion man the fiendish craft. And as they draw closer, it becomes clear that the two play at dice for the soul of the ancient mariner. The result is nothing short of cataclysmic.

Public Domain (P)2009 B.J. Harrison

A brilliant reading

This reading enhances one's understanding of the work, a rare gem among readings in that respect. I chose to reread it right now (May, 2020) based on a terrific article in The Atlantic Monthly by James Parker. (Search for "The 1798 Poem That Was Made for 2020.") I quote from Parker's story (one in which he recounts an on-going public domain project to engage multiple people reading the poem, a project in the works prior to the pandemic):

"Six hundred and twenty-six lines of customized Coleridgean English, a strange and wildly flexible hybrid idiom in which the long strains of the King James Bible are looped around a kind of loping, hacked-off folk doggerel, the “Rime” is … What is it? The last epic. The first case history. A Jungian voyage into modernity. A trip. On his way to a wedding, at the very door of the banquet hall, a man is buttonholed by a haggard and compelling stranger. He is detained; he is enthralled. No choice: He must hear this person’s story. And the ancient mariner (for it is he) has no choice either: He is condemned to tell his tale, to recite his rhyme, over and over again."

If it's been as long for you in reading this poem as it was for me, the end of part one will be truly shocking - jaw agape. The effect is stunning.

Timeless, great!

I read this along side my son for his senior year in high school. I enjoyed it so much more than when I was in high school. I understood it way more, and enjoyed discussions about it with my son.

Fantastic performance

I read this as a child and was forever enriched, this was the icing on the cake, I will be listening to this many times over.

Poetry for guys who don't get poetry.

I rarely read poetry. I find it difficult to read and understand. But I really wanted to experience this dark tale of a sailor and an albatross. Hearing it read managed to get through my poetry issues. Excellent audiobook.

Emotion and clarity

A timeless classic. Beautiful narration done with emotion and clarity. I enjoyed the poem immensely