It is important to realise how these "slimy things"
compare to the "water snakes" in this poem. Remember that the "slimy things" appear when
the death of the Albatross begins to be avenged by the Polar Spirit, the force of Nature
who punishes the Mariner and the whole ship so vindictively for the murder of the
albatross. It is in Part II when we are introduced to the "slimy things" who come along
with a deadly calm in the wind and the sea:
The very deep did rot: O
Christ!
That ever this should
be!
Yea, slimy things did crawl with
legs
Upon the slimy
sea.
The profound stagnation
that leaves the ship abandoned without any hope of movement or relief creates such a
decay in the sea that unnameable monsters are said to "crawl with legs" upon the slimy
sea. Clearly this is an abhorrence of nature, designed to punish the abhorrent act
against nature--the murder of the albatross.
However, these
are contrasted with the beauty of nature as symbolised by the water snakes in Part IV.
Compares to the "slimy things," they are described in terms that communicate their
beauty:
Beyond the shadow of the
ship,
I watched the water
snakes:
They moved in tracks of shining
white,
And when they reared, the elfish
light
Fell off in hoary
flakes.
Within the shadow of the
ship
I watched their rich
attire:
Blue, glossy green, and velvet
black,
They coiled and swam; and every
track
Was a flash of golden
fire.
The contrast is
hopefully clear. Seeing these creatures causes the Mariner to, almost involuntarily it
seems, bless them, and thus break the spell that is upon him. Whereas the "slimy things"
were a symbol of his damnation, the water snakes symbolise his redemption and
release.
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