The very deep did rot: O Christ! That ever this should be! Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs Upon the slimy sea. Ever since Coleridge wrote The Rime of the Ancient Mariner it has become a classic poem full of powerful imagery. A morality tale as well as a sojourn into the darkest depths of the imagination, Coleridge's poetry open up realms which plumb our Jungian psyche, dredging up horrors and fears shared by our collective unconscious. A potent example of the power of poetry to convey a message which no other medium can convey, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is also the perfect example of a poet, at the height of his powers, deep in thrall to his own self-destructive tendencies. Fuelled by opium and alcohol, Coleridge's imagination crossed new thresholds, pushed against new boundaries and succeeded in creating a work of enduring power.