meaning of these lines? and through the drifts the snowy clifts did send a dismal sheen
Answers
Answer :
This question is based on the poem 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
The mariners' ship is surrounded by ice on all sides and there is no other sign of life or habitation. The floating ice bergs and glaciers at the South pole reflected the sunlight in such a way that it produced a sad, gloomy and depressive mood all around. The line also acts as a signal for more bad weather.
The repeating vowel sound of 'i' in the words 'drifts' and 'cliffs' indicated the use of assonance (a figure of speech). It also provides for internal rhyming in the poem.
Another figure of speech called oxymoron has been used in the phrase 'dismal sheen.' The contradictory words 'dismal' and 'sheen' have been used together for emphasis. While 'dismal' means sad, depressive and gloomy, 'sheen' means brightness.