How is the (dualistic) theme of nature and imagination addressed in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge?

The Romantic poets, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge, valued nature as well as imagination. In "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," we see a duality or dichotomy between these two revered themes of Romanticism. Coleridge wants to depict nature realistically, but since his lengthy ballad is primarily a work of high imagination, he must at times leave realistic representations of nature to advance his imaginative story.
Near the beginning of the Mariner's tale, he describes the near-Antarctic scenery in a realistic manner: "ice, mast-high, came floating by, as green as emerald." He describes the true sounds of ice sheets: "It cracked and growled, and roared and howled, like noises in a swound." The behavior of the albatross is described realistically, and the description of being stuck in the doldrums is memorable for its verisimilitude: "Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink. The very deep did rot: O Christ! That ever this should be! Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs upon the slimy sea."
For Coleridge's eerie Gothic tale to have its intended effect, he must leave realistic descriptions of nature behind in favor of imaginative experiences. Thus, the Mariner sees the souls fly from the dead sailors, the carcasses do not rot as they should as a result of spending an entire week in the heat, and the ship casts a red shadow on the ocean in the moonlight. One might debate whether the description of the "water-snakes" is realistic or imaginative, but the events after the Mariner blesses the snakes are supernatural: there is an unnatural lightning display, the ship moves without wind, and celestial spirits inhabit the dead bodies as they rise to sail the ship, singing with birdlike, angelic music. Upon reaching his own harbor, the ship sinks without apparent cause, forming a whirlpool and creating a resounding echo.
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" sets the realistic description of nature against an imaginative world that does not follow the normal rules of nature. However, both the natural and the supernatural blend skillfully in this Gothic poem that equally exalts both nature and imagination.

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