Good evening and welcome to the sleepy bookshelf. This season, which is exclusive to premium,

we have a special poem for you, The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Colwich.

We know our listeners are as unique as our stories, and lucky for you our bookshelf is varied

with lots of different types of works to lull you into a deep sleep. The following is a preview

to give you an idea of what to expect from this season.

The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner was written by the English poet, Samuel Taylor Colwich,

between 1797 and 1798. It's often considered the first work of British romantic literature.

While we typically read prose on the sleepy bookshelf, we hope you'll enjoy this long poem,

which seemed an atmospheric choice for the season. It tells the story of an old Mariner,

who is part of a crew sailing to Antarctica. The ship is guided out of an ice jam by a large,

white bird, an arbitrage that the Mariner later shoots with his arrow.

As punishment for this, the crew is doomed to a ghost's leotanity and he must carry the burden

of his misdeed for the rest of his days, recounting the story to anyone who will listen.

While the poem is mostly the Mariner's story itself, it also introduces the character of the

wedding guest, a man the Mariner stops on his way to the celebrations. The wedding guest,

like the reader, is the audience for his tale. We hope you will join us for this season,

however, if you decide that the rhyme of the ancient Mariner isn't your cup of tea,

feel free to explore the rest of the bookshelf. We're sure you'll find something to guide you into a

restful sleep. Our premium subscription offers stories such as these to listen to between the

seasons on the main feed, so if you would like to hear this poem, you can sign up today.

But if you are already a premium subscriber, thank you so much for your support.

Remember to, if there is a book you would like to hear on the sleepy bookshelf,

...