The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is a long poem written by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and first published in 1798. The poem tells the story of an old sailor who stops a wedding guest on his way to a marriage ceremony and tells him a long tale about his own adventures. The poem begins with the ancient mariner stopping the wedding guest in mid-journey and asking him to listen to his story. His tale begins with him departing on a ship with a fair wind, but winds up being caught in an unnatural mist and freezing cold. As the ship and its crew suffer, an albatross appears and the storm abates. The ancient mariner takes the bird as an omen from the heavens and believes it brings good luck. He and his crew rejoice, but the celebration is short lived when, in a fit of madness, the mariner shoots the albatross with his crossbow. This action brings tragedy to the ship and its crew, as as the mariner experiences immense guilt and regret. The poem then explores themes of nature, guilt, retribution, and redemption. The mariner must suffer for his crime and is eventually blessed with absolution after a long and dangerous journey. The poem concludes with the mariner forgiving himself and the entire crew, and being forgiven by Heaven in return.