Kubla Khan and Of the Fragment of 'Kubla Kahn' : Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Or, a vision in a dream. A Fragment.
1. In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round; And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.
2. But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover! A savage place! as holy and enchanted As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted By woman wailing for her demon-lover! And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething, As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing, A mighty fountain momently was forced: Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail, Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail: And mid these dancing rocks at once and ever It flung up momently the sacred river. Five miles meandering with a mazy motion Through wood and dale the sacred river ran, Then reached the caverns measureless to man, And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean; And ’mid this tumult Kubla heard from far Ancestral voices prophesying war! The shadow of the dome of pleasure Floated midway on the waves; Where was heard the mingled measure From the fountain and the caves. It was a miracle of rare device, A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!
3. A damsel with a dulcimer In a vision once I saw: It was an Abyssinian maid And on her dulcimer she played, Singing of Mount Abora. 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! And all who heard should see them there, And all should cry, Beware! Beware! His flashing eyes, his floating hair! Weave a circle round him thrice, And close your eyes with holy dread For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise.
Definition :
> sinuous rills - twisty stream > caverns - cave mostly underground > chasm - deep cut on the hill > tumult - confusion >dulcimer- A musical instrument
CONTEXT, INTERPRETATIONS AND MEANING:
1. Introduces the Kubla Khan and begins to describe the setting of Xanadu, in which a "pleasure-dome decree" which states that he has a really fancy palace. The landscape of this place is then described and the sacred Alph river transforming this place, this person, and this story into his own creation that is "measureless" which suggests the land is vast and unknown. "Down to a sunless sea" suggests quite a dark atmosphere as it is "sunless" without brightness or joy the imagery used makes it sound lonely. In comparison to this things become more cheerful as the gardens around the palace are described setting up a contrast between the caverns and the palace, everything in the palace is safe and cheerful, there are walls for protection even the sunny spots of greenery are "enfolded" which suggests they are protected as the forest wraps itself around it keeping it safe.
2. Then just like that we are snapped back into this slightly dark and scary atmosphere "a savage place" that is "haunted", the river is violent and uncontrollable, but the waning moon and the woman wailing creates a sense of romantic but scary chasm. The presence of the woman's wailing makes an intense new story about her and her "demon lover", and could be seen as a ghost haunting this cave waiting to be united with her "demon lover". The Coleridge takes us to think of the river again as something that is created at each moment, he focus' on the wild rush and violent excitement of the water crashing down, showing the tremendous power of nature unleashed. He really wants you to hear and feel the water and uses similes to create a vivid image of this rapid flowing river, that is "flung" and is "dancing" as it runs. However, when it reaches the caverns the river becomes a lifeless ocean and sinks, and pulls us back to the image of Kubla thinking of war, while watching the shadow of the dome. As the lines become shorter towards the end of the second stanza Coleridge brings together the idea's of power and pleasure in this irregular rhyme structure, but pulls the elements of the dome, fountain, waves and the cave, as these ideas of the elements swirl together they combine in harmony.
3. Quickly, the poem changes again to a vision of a woman "damsel" and we are told three things about this woman she: is an Abyssinian maid, plays the dulcimer and sings about Mount Abora. This woman contrasts with the wailing woman in the caverns and seems to bring joy to the speaker as she is said to "revive" and "delight" him and sort of brings him alive in a song of happiness so much so that he would "build that dome in air". But, again the poem changes and is pulled away from this woman to a creature who people should "cry, Beware! Beware!" it seems that this "vision" has become so powerful its a nightmare and this creature has become God like eating the "honey-dew" and drinking " the milk of paradise", which suggests that he is taking away this paradise by draining away the essence of paradise.
How do each of the writers engage with the idea of the power of the imagination and nature?
Coleridge engages with the idea of the power of the imagination with his in-depth descriptions of nature and man-made things, such as the contrast between the "pleasure-dome" and "caves", as well as this, the emphasis on the repetitive element of the river bring together elements of clashing and contrasting ideas which brought together work in natural harmony both natural and man-made. These rich descriptions bring to light how powerful the imagination can be as it can heighten the feeling of reality and make it difficult tell from a dream.