Or, a vision in a dream. A Fragment.[1]
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Introduction
Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Khan,” composed in 1797 and published in 1816, is an exemplar of Romantic poetry. According to Coleridge, the poem was written in an opium-induced dream, interrupted before completion, resulting in its fragmentary nature. The composition of “Kubla Khan” reflects Coleridge’s interest in the supernatural, the imagination, and the sublime, central themes in Romantic literature.
The poem begins with a vivid description of the Mongol emperor Kubla Khan's palace in Xanadu. This opening sets the stage for a fantastical exploration of an imagined landscape, blending natural and architectural elements to create an otherworldly vision. The “stately pleasure-dome” symbolizes the power of human creativity and ambition, while the “caverns measureless to man” and the “sunless sea” evoke a sense of mystery and the sublime.
“Kubla Khan” is written in irregular rhymed verse, with varying meter and length, contributing to its dreamlike quality. The poem is divided into two parts: the first describes the constructed beauty of Xanadu, while the second shifts to a more personal and visionary tone, reflecting on the nature of artistic inspiration: “A damsel with a dulcimer.” This shift illustrates a Romantic preoccupation with the creative process and the role of the unconscious mind in artistic creation. The vision of the “Abyssinian maid” represents an ideal of artistic inspiration that is both elusive and transcendent.
The interplay between human creativity and the natural world is a central theme. The construction of the “stately pleasure-dome” in Xanadu represents an act of artistic creation that seeks to shape and control nature. The lines, “Where Alph, the sacred river, ran / Through caverns measureless to man / Down to a sunless sea” (ll. 3–5), illustrate this juxtaposition of human-made beauty and the wild, untamable forces of nature. This tension reflects the Romantic fascination with nature’s power and the limits of human endeavor.
Imagination is also a key theme in the poem, reflecting Coleridge’s belief in the creative power of the mind. The poem itself, a product of an opium-induced dream, showcases the boundless potential of the imagination to create vivid and fantastical worlds. The depiction of an enchanted landscape, "A savage place! as holy and enchanted / As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted / By woman wailing for her demon-lover" (ll. 14–16) underscores the idea that imagination can transcend ordinary reality, accessing realms of extraordinary beauty and terror.
The tension between reality and the ideal is another prominent theme. The incomplete nature of the poem, resulting from Coleridge’s interrupted dream, serves as a metaphor for the elusive nature of perfect artistic expression. This theme is encapsulated in the vision of the “Abyssinian maid,” whose music represents an ideal of artistic beauty. The poet’s yearning to “revive within me / Her symphony and song” (ll. 39, 42–43) reflects the Romantic ideal of capturing the sublime through art while acknowledging the inherent difficulty of achieving such transcendence.
The sublime and the supernatural are woven throughout “Kubla Khan,” with landscapes that evoke awe-inspiring beauty and terror. The imagery of a “ceaseless turmoil seething” and a “mighty fountain” conveys a sense of dynamic, almost supernatural energy that lies beyond human comprehension. This fascination with the sublime highlights the Romantic interest in the power and mystery of nature.
Artistic inspiration and the creative process are central to “Kubla Khan.” The poem is presented as a fragment of a larger, more complete vision that Coleridge could not fully capture. The poet expresses a longing to recreate the profound beauty of his vision: “Could I revive within me / Her symphony and song, / To such a deep delight ’twould win me, / That with music loud and long, / I would build that dome in air, / That sunny dome! those caves of ice!” (ll. 42–47) This longing suggests that true artistic inspiration is an ephemeral and deeply personal experience, underscoring the Romantic belief in the importance of individual imagination and the mystical nature of the creative process.
Romantic characteristics in the poem include its emphasis on the sublime, the supernatural, and the visionary. Coleridge’s use of rich, sensory imagery and his focus on the imaginative process align with the broader Romantic movement’s interest in the inner workings of the mind and the transcendent power of nature.
Contemporary relevance of “Kubla Khan” can be found in its exploration of the creative process and the nature of artistic inspiration. In an age that continues to grapple with the sources and limits of creativity, Coleridge's poem offers a timeless meditation on the role of the imagination and the elusive nature of artistic vision. The poem's fragmented structure and vivid imagery ponder the mysteries of human creativity and the sublime beauty of the natural world.
Questions for Consideration
- Analyze how Coleridge presents the power of the imagination. Discuss how the vivid and fantastical imagery in the poem reflects Romantic ideals about creativity. How does the poem's fragmentary nature contribute to its overall impact on the reader?
- Explore the relationship between nature and human artifice. How does Coleridge depict the balance between the natural world and human attempts to shape it? Use specific examples from the poem to support your analysis.
- Examine the theme of the sublime. How do the descriptions of the landscape evoke feelings of awe and terror? Discuss how these elements of the sublime relate to the poem's overall mood and themes.
- Analyze the use of symbolism and imagery. How do the “pleasure-dome,” the “sacred river,” and other images contribute to the poem’s exploration of human ambition and the limits of control over nature? What do these symbols reveal about Coleridge’s views on creativity and imagination?
- Discuss the significance of “Kubla Khan” being an unfinished poem. How does the incomplete nature of the poem influence its meaning and interpretation? Consider Coleridge’s own account of its composition and how this might shape our understanding of the work.
- Place "Kubla Khan" within the context of Romantic literature. How does the poem reflect key Romantic themes such as the importance of imagination, the fascination with the supernatural, and the focus on individual experience? Compare the themes and techniques in the poem with those of other Romantic poets.
- Explore the theme of vision versus reality. How does Coleridge portray the tension between the idealized visions of the poet and the reality of the world? Discuss how this tension is represented through the imagery and structure of the poem.
- Investigate the historical and literary influences on “Kubla Khan.” How do the references to historical figures and places, such as Kubla Khan and Xanadu, enhance the poem’s themes? Discuss the impact of these influences on your interpretation of the poem.
- Reflect on your own response to “Kubla Khan.” How do the themes of imagination, creativity, and the sublime resonate with you personally? Write about how the poem’s imagery and language affect your understanding and appreciation of the work.
- Compare “Kubla Khan” with another poem by Coleridge or a contemporary Romantic poet. How do the themes, form, and style of “Kubla Khan” differ from or align with the other work? Discuss the similarities and differences in their treatment of imagination and the sublime.
Notes and Commentary
- ↑ Written in the summer of 1797 but not published until 1816, Coleridge claims to have had a laudanum-inspired dream inspired by his reading of Purchas, His Pilgrimes. In Purchas, clergyman Samuel Purchas discusses Xanadu an idyllic palace built by none other than Kubla Khan for a summer residence. Upon awaking, Coleridge wrote the following fragment. There would have been more, Coleridge explains in his preface, had he not been interrupted. He was later only able to recall “some vague and dim recollection” of the vision (Abrams 1986, p. 353).
- ↑ Kublai Khan, a grandson of Genghis Khan, was the first emperor of the Yuan dynasty of China which stretched from the Pacific Ocean to modern-day Afghanistan. Here, Coleridge’s Kubla Khan seems to represent the a heroic aspect of humanity, like poetic genius or imagination—one who can reconcile opposites and is all powerful in his realm. Like his namesake, Kubla Khan has built an impressive kingdom, but in verse. Additionally, the use of Kubla Khan as the poem’s focus also implies a despotism: a genius, but ruthless leader that perhaps, like Machiavelli’s prince, has his dark side. This duality is developed throughout the poem.
- ↑ Perhaps a reference to the opium that inspired this dream/poem.
- ↑ Perhaps poetic inspiration. The river is an archetypal image; here, Alph could be connected to the Greek Alpha—the first or original.
- ↑ Symbolizing, perhaps, the poet’s imagination. The whole poem has a dream-like quality, and this kingdom of Kubla Khan’s is born first in his imagination before being created, or written in verse. It could also suggest that place where inspiration goes if its not harnessed by the poet, as it is an ambiguous, even pejorative, image. Or, most simply, these are areas of the world not yet discovered, explored, or experienced by man.
- ↑ “Sunless sea” here contrasts with “sunny spots of greenery” in line 11 below, showing this dream-like land is both bright and dark, perhaps wonderful and terrifying (the “savage place” of line 14). The sun, too, is archetypal, standing for both heat and light, or passion and understanding. If a place is sunless, it lacks both, maybe like the world outside of Xanadu.
- ↑ This specific measurement of ten miles contrasts with the “caverns measureless to man” of line 4 above.
- ↑ These last line evoke a pastoral garden, which likely should elicit images of Eden that is sequestered behind “walls and towers” far from the chaos of the outside world. Yet, this garden is not tranquil for long.
- ↑ Here, the poem turns to more sinister imagery, beginning with the “deep romantic chasm”—perhaps separating Xanadu from the outside world of chaos. This chasm of the imagination could be a continuation of the “caverns measureless to man” from line 4. Notice that these darker images, too, seem to be the ones that are part of infinity seeming to reach up to disrupt the more exact dimensions of the more tranquil aspects of the pleasure dome—even maybe threatening its very existence (Perry 2015).
- ↑ Again, both pastoral and nightmarish, the poem brings together these extremes in its vision, like multiple facets of the human imagination. Here, mention of the “demon-lover” is followed by the ambiguous sexual energy of the fountain.
- ↑ This fountain seems charged with sexual energy that disrupts the river threatening chaos, yet at the same time engendering a creativity that seems to be a major thrust of the poem. In essence, Coleridge seems to suggest that creativity might also be destructive.
- ↑ The damsel suggests Kubla Khan’s earlier “decree” or creative act, and Coleridge links the two though subsequent repeated imagery.
- ↑ See Milton’s Paradise Lost (4.280–282): “where Abassin kings their issue guard / Mount Amara (though by this name some supposed / True Paradise) under the Ethiop line” (Abrams 1986, p. 355).
- ↑ Perhaps literally as this poem does figuratively.
- ↑ This is an image of worship, perhaps carrying more weight with those of us familiar with cults of personality and celebrity culture—maybe one of the negative effects of genius. Along the same lines, Bloom suggests that a “hidden theme” of the poem is Coleridge’s fear of his own poetic powers—that he both longed for and feared to be the poet of the closing lines (Bloom 2001, pp. 9–10). The youth in the last lines has rediscovered paradise, one who can perhaps repair the sins of man humanity (Bloom (2011, p. 5)).
- ↑ These last five lines imagine a figure, Kubla Khan maybe, who is potentially mad in his creative reverie. The figure of the creative genius is simultaneously beautiful and dreadful, a slightly unhinged figure who can travel where most fear to go. These lines seem to echo Plato’s Ion (ll. 533–534) that describe poets under the influence of the Muse: “like Bacchic maidens who draw milk and honey from the rivers when they are under the influence of Dionysus but not when they are in their right mind” (Abrams 1986, p. 355).
Works Cited
- Abrams, M. H., ed. (1986). The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 2 (Fifth ed.). New York: W. W. Norton.
- Bloom, Harold (2011). "Introduction". In Bloom, Harold. The Romantic Poets. Bloom’s Modern Critical Views. New York: Bloom’s Literary Criticism.
- — (2001). Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Bloom’s Major Poets. New York: Chelsea House.
- "Manuscript of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 'Kubla Khan'". British Library. n.d. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- Perry, Seamus (May 15, 2014). "An introduction to Kubla Khan: or A Vision in a Dream". British Library. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
