“On meurt deux Source fois, je le vois bien : > > Cesser d’aimer & d’être aimable, > > C’est une mort insupportable : > > Cesser de vivre, ce n’est rien.”
This poignant verse speaks of two deaths. The first is an unbearable, spiritual end: the cessation of love. The second is merely physical. Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, masterfully explores this very concept. The Mariner endures a living death after a senseless act of cruelty. Consequently, his journey is not just across a physical ocean, but through a spiritual wasteland. Coleridge uses powerful celestial symbolism to navigate this internal torment. Specifically, the moon, sun, and stars act as a cosmic map, charting the Mariner’s fall from grace and his slow, painful path toward redemption.
Samuel Taylor Coleridge | Poetry Foundation
The Sun’s Wrath vs. The Moon’s Grace
Throughout the poem, the sun and moon represent opposing forces acting upon the Mariner’s soul. The sun is an agent of divine wrath and relentless judgment. After the Mariner shoots the albatross, the sun becomes a symbol of his torment. Coleridge describes it as a “bloody Sun, at noon,” hanging directly over the mast. This oppressive celestial body brings no relief. Instead, it scorches the crew and contributes to the horrifying stillness of the sea. The sun’s harsh, unforgiving light illuminates a world devoid of life and grace, reflecting the Mariner’s own spiritual desolation. It oversees his punishment, turning the ocean stagnant and the sailors’ tongues to dust.
In stark contrast, the moon embodies a serene, supernatural, and ultimately redemptive power. It is under the moonlight that the Mariner’s transformation begins. While the sun punishes, the moon offers a glimmer of hope. The Mariner watches the beautiful sea snakes, which he previously called “slimy things,” swimming in the water. In a moment of spontaneous love, he blesses them “unaware.” This act occurs under the soft glow of the moon. As a result, the albatross falls from his neck, and the spell begins to break. The moon, therefore, governs the realm of the spirit, intuition, and the potential for grace. It illuminates the beauty he had failed to see, allowing his heart to finally thaw.
Stars as Portents and Guides
While the sun and moon offer a clear duality, the stars play a more mysterious role. Source They often appear as omens or witnesses to supernatural events. For instance, the strange phenomenon of the “horned Moon, with one bright star / Within the nether tip” is a powerful, unsettling image. This celestial arrangement precedes the arrival of the ghostly ship carrying Death and Life-in-Death. Literary critics and astronomers have long debated the meaning and feasibility of this image . However, its purpose is symbolic, not scientific. It signals a disruption in the natural order, brought on by the Mariner’s crime.
Furthermore, the stars can also represent a distant, indifferent cosmos. When the ship’s crew perishes, their souls fly to God, but the Mariner is left utterly alone on the vast ocean. He is isolated from humanity and the divine order that the stars often represent. The celestial bodies become part of the terrifying, alien landscape of his punishment. Later, as he begins his penance, the rising stars and the gentle moonlight work together to guide his spiritual recovery. They become part of a renewed natural world he can finally appreciate.
The Mariner’s Two Deaths
The initial quote perfectly captures the Mariner’s fate. He does not die physically. Instead, he suffers the “insupportable death” of ceasing to love. His crime against nature—killing the albatross—severs his connection to all living things. He is no longer “aimable,” or worthy of love, and he becomes incapable of feeling it himself. This spiritual death is far worse than the physical end his shipmates meet. He is cursed to live on, trapped in a state of profound alienation. His punishment is to be a ghost among the living, forever compelled to tell his tale.
His redemption arc is the slow, arduous process of learning to love again. The moon initiates this process when he blesses the sea snakes. This single act of love, however small, is the turning point. It shows that his capacity for love was not destroyed, only dormant. Therefore, the celestial imagery does more than just set the scene. It directly mirrors the Mariner’s internal state. The cruel sun reflects his guilt and isolation. Conversely, the serene moon and stars reflect his gradual return to a state of grace and connection with the world. He escapes the first death to warn others of its horror.