Question

Why did the poet think of albatross? What is the allusion in this line.

Answer 1

The poet thinks about albatross to express his guilt and regret for throwing a wooden log at the snake. Expression ‘albatross round your neck’ means you are regretful for doing something bad.  

The poet regretted because he had acted instinctively. The snake had just come to drink water at his water trough. The snake had not shown any aggression or hostility. The heat of the summer season had forced it out. There was a considerable distance between the poet and the snake. The snake had behaved very majestically; after slaking its thirst; it was going back to its crevice. The poet had got scared and thrown a log at it with an intention to kill it. Besides, the snake was not poisonous at all. So the poet felt regretful at acting meanly.