A mariner stops a man on his way to a wedding. The mariner then relates to the man all the events of a long sea voyage, arousing in his listener feeling of impatience, fear, fascination and bemusement.

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner was published in the collection Lyrical Ballads (1798), which contributed significantly to the advent of modern poetry and the beginnings of British Romance literature.

Seventeenth-century English poet Robert Herrick made his own unique mark in the genre of lyric poetry by returning to the themes and styles of long-past eras. This wide-ranging collection encompasses his finest work, including the poem "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time," which includes the famous first line, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may."