What Lesson Do We Get From Coleridge's Poem "The Ancient Mariner"?

In this poem the ancient mariner tells us how once his ship was drawn towards the South Pole by a storm. When the ship was surrounded by ice, an albatross came in it. They received it with great joy. They considered it a bird of good omen as if it had been a Christian soul. But in a fit of anger the ancient mariner killed the bird. At first, other mariners favored his act and thus became accomplice in his crime. But when some mysterious incidents happened and they had to face unbearable miseries, they started abusing him. They hung the bird around his neck. The Polar Spirits also got offended and the sails suddenly dropped down. Soon all the mariners died of thirst. But the ancient was let alive to suffer the consequences of his sin. He faced a number of hardships. He could not pray even. After many days of his tests and tribulations, he saw some water snakes. He admired their beauty. Upon this, his sin was forgiven. The angels came and brought his ship back to England. But the mariner was condemned ever to travel from land to land and to teach the people love and respect to all God's creatures. The poem grows out of Coleridge's belief that God loves and helps those who love his creature. But those who treat His creature cruelly are treated likewise. But confession and repentance erase the blot of sin and he who loves all is loved by all.

In one of his most famous poems, "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," Coleridge describes the doomed voyage of a South Pole expedition.

The story is told to a young guest at a wedding party by an old man described as "The Hermit" or "Ancient Mariner."

As a young, bored sailor, the Hermit shoots an albatross for sport. The captain is horrified, as albatrosses are a symbol of good luck, denoting that land is nearby.

As punishment, the sailor must wear the rotting corpse around his neck -- the origin of our expressions about albatrosses as a symbol of hardship, shame, or a past we want to forget.

The bird's killing -- and the subsequent unleashing of bad luck -- sets in motion punishments from God. First, there is no wind in the sails. Then the stranded men begin to starve and die of dehydration. Finally, the crew is terrified by what may be their fate: a ghost ship steered by dead men.

The Mariner's story is an allegory about how the impetuosity of youth may have long-lasting consequences, and how we must not willingly destroy that which is good in life, as symbolized by the carefree seabird.
The old man's final advice to the guest is:
"He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast.
He prayeth best, who loveth best
All things both great and small."