Albatross (metaphor) Albatross (metaphor) The word albatross is sometimes used metaphorically to mean a psychological burden that feels like a curse. It is an allusion to Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (1798). In the poem, an albatross starts to follow a ship — being followed by an albatross was generally considered a sign of good luck. However, the titular mariner shoots the albatross with a crossbow, which is regarded as an act that will curse the ship (which indeed suffers terrible mishaps). Even when they are too thirsty to speak, the ship's crew let the mariner know
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner every where, | Nor any drop to drink" has appeared widely in popular culture, but usually given in a more natural modern phrasing as "Water, water, everywhere | "But not a drop to drink""; some such appearances have, in turn, played on the frequency with which these lines are misquoted. The poem is referenced in the script of the 1939 film "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes". The Iron Maiden song "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" from their fifth studio album "Powerslave" (1984) was inspired by and based on the poem, and quotes the poem in its lyrics. A 1971 episode