Fill in the Blanks Rime of the Ancient MarinerOnline version Idiom Explanation by Christie Goodwin 1 kills reminder die cursed crossbow luck albatross albatross lifted pray kneels appreciate good neck Coleridge The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor The poem tells the tale of an old sailor who , while on a sea voyage , an with his . In nautical lore , albatrosses are a sign of fortune , and killing one is meant to bring bad . The crew of the ship forces the old sailor to wear the albatross's carcass around his , which is meant to serve as a of his misdeed . The mariner is then and is forced to watch all his fellow crew members . The curse is lifted when he realizes that he should sea life , rather than regarding it as " slimy " as he did earlier in the poem . After this happens , the sailor to , and the falls from his neck . This signifies that his burden and guilt have been .