In the first part of the poem, the speaker envisions the landscape surrounding the Mongol ruler and Chinese emperor Kubla Khan’s summer palace , called “Xanadu,” describing it as a place of beauty, pleasure, and violence. ... The poem is one of Coleridge’s most famous, and has been interpreted in many different ways.
What is the purpose of Kubla Khan?
Kubla Khan attempted to create a man-made paradise at the cost of natural beauty , by restrictive actions. The damsel with a dulcimer made music by her empathy with nature. For a romantic poet like Coleridge, the choice was clear.
Why did Coleridge write Kubla Khan?
According to Coleridge’s preface to Kubla Khan, the poem was composed one night after he experienced an opium-influenced dream after reading a work describing Shangdu, the summer capital of the Yuan dynasty founded by the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan.
What is the story of Kubla Khan by Coleridge?
Kubla Khan, in full Kubla Khan; or, a Vision in a Dream, poetic fragment by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, published in 1816. According to Coleridge, he composed the 54-line work while under the influence of laudanum , a form of opium.
What was the ultimate goal of Kubla Khan?
Unification of China . Kublai’s achievement was to reestablish the unity of China, which had been divided since the end of the Tang dynasty (618–907). His accomplishment was that much greater because he was a barbarian (in Chinese eyes) as well as a nomadic conqueror.
What is the main theme of the poem Kubla Khan?
The major theme of Kubla Khan is the effects of the dream of the romantic and mysterious on the poet’s mind or the whole being . Then, there is the theme of man’s interaction with nature and the power of the poet’s imagination. The imagery and symbolism of the poem, as discussed above, strongly bring out these themes.
Is Kubla Khan a dream poem?
The famous poem “Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is subtitled “ A Vision in a Dream. ... He had just been reading Purchas His Pilgrimage, an account of travels in faraway lands, which describes the palace of Kubla Khan. Coleridge slept for about three hours, during which he claims to have composed 200 to 300 lines.
What does the caverns symbolize in Kubla Khan?
If we are to consider these caverns as an underworld, then we might say that they symbolize unconscious human brain power or the creative spirit that spurs on the imagination or artistic process .
What is Kubla Khan?
Princeton’s WordNet. Kublai Khan, Kubla Khan, Kublai Kaannoun. Mongolian emperor of China and grandson of Genghis Khan who completed his grandfather’s conquest of China; he establish the Yuan dynasty and built a great capital on the site of modern Beijing where he received Marco Polo (1216-1294)
What kind of poem is Kubla Khan?
Kubla Khan is an intricately structured poem , using a amazing variety of metric and rhythmic devices. Lines 1 to 7 and 37 to 54 are written primarily in iambic tetrameter. When the line is read aloud, the emphasis falls on every second syllable.
Who drank the milk of paradise in Kubla Khan?
The reader is considered an observer, since he/she is reading the poem; therefore, the narrator is also referring to the reader when he says “observers.” The person who drank “the milk of paradise” is the person who is the subject of the poem: Kubla Khan . The reader should beware because Khan is the great and mighty.
Is Xanadu a real place?
Xanadu (aka Shangdu, Shang-tu, and Kaiping) located in Inner Mongolia, northern China , was first the capital (1263-73) and then the summer capital (1274-1364) of the Mongol Empire. It came to prominence during the reign of Kublai Khan (r. 1260-1294) and was famous for its palaces, gardens and waterways.
Why did Coleridge leave Cambridge?
Discharged in April 1794, he returned to Cambridge, which he left in December, however, without taking a degree. The reason for this move, characteristic of Coleridge’s erratic and impulsive character, was his budding friendship with Robert Southey .
How is Kubla Khan a romantic poem?
Above all, the dream-like atmosphere of Kubla Khan makes it an exquisite romantic poem. It was not only composed in a dream but even exhibits a dream-like movement. The poem is work of pure fancy, the result of sheer imagination. In this respect it is a romantic poem.
How does the poem Kubla Khan end?
The memory of her song fills him with longing, and he imagines himself singing his own song, using it to create a vision of Xanadu . Toward the end, the poem becomes more personal and mysterious, as the speaker describes past visions he has had. This brings him to a final image of a terrifying figure with flashing eyes.
What is the mood of Kubla Khan?
Answer and Explanation: Coleridge wrote Kubla Khan in 1797 but published it in 1816. The first stanza’s mood is that of awe combined with a sense of wonder . Coleridge describes in detail the might, splendor, and majesty that used to be the court of the great Mongol emperor Kubla Khan.
