Kubla+Khan

media type="youtube" key="SEuOoMprDqg" height="346" width="462" align="right"Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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 here 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.

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, media type="custom" key="22292670" align="right" width="80" height="80" 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!

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 the 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.

__Samuel Taylor Coleridge__

 * Born October 21, 1772 in Devonshire, England
 * Died July 25, 1834 in London, England[[image:http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FRi5OdBUsog/ULrSnGpff3I/AAAAAAAABo4/SpA1ELC7JOM/s1600/coleridge1.jpg width="270.0170454978943" height="342.0170454978943" align="right" caption="Fairly accurate cartoon representation of Coleridge"]]
 * Youngest of 14 children
 * Attended Christ's Hospital School in London after father died
 * Entered Jesus College, University of Cambridge, then got involved with controversial Unitarian William Frend
 * Later became addicted to opium for health reasons
 * Thus, he had some pretty awesome dreams which inspired his poetry
 * "Kubla Khan" is one of his unfinished poems, as he was allegedly interrupted while writing down his dream. It was finally published in 1816.

__T.I.M.E.__

 * Theme:**Two potential themes for this poem both include the relationship between man and nature. First, man must not overshadow the natural world with his own creations, or else he will lose sight of its beauty and worth. In the poem, only a few details are given about the pleasure-dome, while many details focus on the nature surrounding it. Secondly, man will never be able to create an Edenic paradise, because it is simply not possible to achieve it with human technology. A paradise such as that would only be accomplished by nature or a superior being, a god of sorts. The poem even says, for a man who could create such a paradise, " And all who heard should see them there,/And all should cry, Beware! Beware!"

**Imagery:** This poem exemplifies imagery in its purest form, as elements of nature are described so accurately that it paints a vivid mental picture of the landscape of Xanadu. Everything from Alph, the sacred river, which for "Five miles meandering with a mazy motion/Through wood and dale," to the "sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!" are detailed so meticulously. "A woman wailing for her demon-lover" contrasts "an Abyssinian maid" playing a dulcimer and singing.


 * Meter:** This poem is primarily iambic, but the amount of syllables changes constantly, which has different effects on each part of the poem. For example, the beginning starts with short lines in tetrameter to quickly describe the setting for the reader, but quickly moves to pentameter, then to various odd meters. The effect of the odd meters help reinforce that this dream was inspired by a drug-induced dream, which naturally would not have an even and steady style. The rhyme scheme is also inconsistent, and somewhat random. The third stanza starts as AABB, then goes to CDCD, then EE. The preceding stanza is much more random, as it follows ABAABCCDE or, if "forced" is accented on the end, ABAABCCAD.


 * Emotion:**The initial description of Xanadu, the pleasure dome, and the natural world around it just invoke a feeling of awe and amazement at the combination of nature's beauty and man's artistic creations. It briefly takes a darker turn when the river runs into the ocean, from " ''mid this tumult Kubla heard from far/Ancestral voices prophesying war!" The final stanza sounds almost as if the speaker is obsessed with creating his own pleasure-dome, which would invoke fear and awe in all who would witness it.

__Neil Peart's Interpretation (see: Xanadu, lyrics below video)__
Neil Peart, the drummer for progressive rock band Rush, decided that he would use this poem as an inspiration for the lyrics to a song.

[[image:http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/212099/Neil+Peart.jpg width="360" height="269" align="right" caption="Neil Peart with his massive drumset."]]
The resulting production is a beautiful masterpiece of progressive rock that begins with a sort of tone poem painting a surreal image of a paradise. Most of the lyrics are direct references to the poem, such as it's title, the pleasure-dome, Kubla Khan, the river Alph, the caves of ice, dining on honeydew, and drinking the milk of paradise. Peart's interpretation focuses on Xanadu as a mythical place where immortality is granted to anyone who can find it, which by itself is reasoned to be no easy task. When found, one may find the pleasure-dome, and eat anew the fruits of life to become immortal. However, the gift of immortality is more of a trap, as one becomes frozen in an everlasting doom, and cannot escape the caves of ice. This is different from Coleridge's poem, which says nothing of immortality or being frozen in the caves of ice, but Peart may have drawn the idea from the last seven lines of the poem. The person that is gathered around could be, in the poem, punished for his actions and be frozen in a cave of ice. The "flashing eyes" and "floating hair" could just be the result of a look of fear and a sudden action disheveling the hair, such as magically being frozen. This could also explain the "close your eyes with holy dread" part, as a way of saying "pray for this man in his punishment, For he on honey-dew hath fed, And drunk the milk of Paradise."

Resources
Brians, Paul. "Samuel Taylor Coleridge: Kubla Khan Or, a Vision In a Dream: A Fragment (1816)." Washington State University. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. . "Samuel Taylor Coleridge." The Literature Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. . "Samuel Taylor Coleridge." Poets.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2013. .

Images Digital image. Http:userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/500/212099/Neil+Peart.jpg//. N.p., n.d. Web. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. . Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. .

Page created by Ryan Dailey, Period 3, AP Lit & Comp, 2012-13.