But soon there breathed a wind on me,
Nor sound nor motion made:
Its path was not upon the sea,
In ripple or in shade.
It raised my hair, it fanned my cheek
Like a meadow-gale of spring--
It mingled strangely with my fears,
Yet it felt like a welcoming.
In this moment, the wind that breathed on the Ancient Mariner does not seem to have any affect on anything else. There was no external physical sign of its existence, no sound, motion, path, ripple, or shade. And yet, it "fanned [his] cheek" and "mingled strangely with [his] fears" and even "felt like a welcoming." This is magical because it is the opposite of how winds affect the real world. Usually while there are external physical signs, winds do not single out one person, or interact with them this intimately.
This moment of magic works to highlight how the Mariner is experiencing a different relationship with his reality than any of the other characters seem to. Throughout his epic tail at sea, he is the exception to all rules, and cannot even die. This magical wind that chooses him made me notice more clearly how without this bubble of disconnection he couldn't have survived.
The wind seems to sooth him, and after it comes a bit of hope. I saw a potential connection to why he needs to tell his tale to the Wedding Guest. To survive this strange crucible, and survive in a world after it has ended, he must tell the tale to bring that combination of mingling with fears while also welcoming some sort of okayness, just as the wind did.
"Yet it felt like a welcoming."
ReplyDeleteI imagine it would feel good, at first, if the whole world seemingly revolved around you. (The wind blowing on the Mariner alone.) What makes this part magical to me is something many magic-users come in contact with, "Magic comes with a price", and while knowing that, the magic is that I can relate to something that could never happen. I have the ability to relate to the Mariner's cursed life later on, having to dwell forever on what felt good for a moment.
Hannah like you said the "breathed wind to me" line really stuck out. The author is able to make a simple phrase such as "there was no effect" or "it was still" into a magnificent picturesque scene involving nature as a character. When it says the wind was not a part of the sea, it strengthens the notion that the wind is actually one of God's creations. By disrespecting nature, the Ancient Mariner has in fact disrespected God as a whole, and perhaps the wind is a way for God to retaliate.
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