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INTRODUCTION TO THE POEM
Kubla Khan is one of the three most well-known poems of Coleridge. The other two poems are The Rime of The Ancient Mariner and Christabel. The other, two poems are based on supernatural incidents. The present poem has nothing directly of the supernatural in it. And yet the poet has succeeded in conveying an impression of something strange and mysterious through his description of a river, a landscape and a pleasure dome.
It is said about this poem Kubla Khan, that it has came to the poet in a dream. The poet himself has said that the whole poem has come to him while he is in a dream under the influence of opium. Actually, he said, the poem is much longer. When he wakes up, he is able to write down the fifty-four lines of the poem as they exist. Unluckily he is interrupted by someone who has dropped in just then and has kept him busy for over an hour. When the guest has gone, Coleridge can not recapture the words and the images of the dream. Therefore, Coleridge has regarded this poem a fragment or only a part of what he has to write.
According to Coleridge, this dream is the result of his reading a few lines in a famous book, Purchas's Pilgrimage; He is reading that part of the book where it describes how a famous Asian King names Kubla Khan has commanded a palace to be built. This book may thus be described as the immediate source of the poem.
According to Coleridge, this dream come to him in the summer of the year 1797. The poem has actually publishes however, in 1816.
As the poem stands, it gives an impression of not only being unfinished but also disjointed. The first impression is that there is hardly any connection between the earlier part of the poem and its later part. On closer study, however, one feels that this poem does make a coherent whole and that the various parts of the poem yields a meaning of their own.
In spite of this fact, however, the fact remains that the poem has a quality of jumpiness about it. The transition from one idea to another is not clear. This is one reason why the poem has been called a dream poem. In a dream, one set of picture follow another and very often two such sets have only a slight connection which can be established by interpretation when we wake up. Again the description itself has something of the quality of a dream about it.
Most critics have regarded this, poem as an example of "Pure Poetry". They feel that the poem has hardly any meaning in the ordinary sense of the work. Its appeal is purely to the imagination and the senses not to our understanding. Other critics, however, feel that the poem is rich in meaning. Only the meaning is not clearly stated it is suggested.
Coleridge's Account of the Composition of Kubla Khan. Here is what Coleridge himself wrote as an introduction to this poem when it is published in 1816.
In the summer of the year 1797, the Author, then in ill health has retired to a lonely farm-house, between Porlock and Linton, the confines of Somerset and Devonshire. In consequence of a slight indisposition, Ananodyne has been prescribed, from the effect of which he has fell asleep in his chair at the moment that he is reading the following sentences in Purchas's Pilgrim age. "Here Kubla Khan commands a palace to be built, and A stately garden thereunto. And thus ten miles of fertile ground were encloses with a wall." The Author continues for about three hours in a profound sleep, at least of the external senses, during which time he has the most vivid confidence that he could not have composed less than two to three hundred lines; if that indeed can be called composition in which all the images rose up before him as things, with a parallel production of the correspondent expression, without any sensation or consciousness of effort. On awaking, it appears to himself to have a distinct recollection of the whole and taking his pen, ink, and paper, instantly and eagerly wrote down the lines that are here preserved. At this moment, he is unfortunately called out by a person on business from Porlock, and detained by him about an hour, and on his return to his room, found, to his no small surprise and mortification, that though he still retains some vague and dim recollection of the general purport of the vision, yet, with the exception of some eight or ten scattered lines and images, all the rest has passed away like the images on the surface of a stream into which a stone has been cast, but, also, without the after restoration of the latter.
This account suggests that the poem, as it exists is only a part of a much longer poem of two to three hundred lines. Secondly, it is suggested that the poet, in his dream, see all the images, described in the poem along with the actual words that describe them. He saw the things and also the words which describe those things.
As a result of this account given by Coleridge himself, this poem has always been regarded as just a fragment. It has also been regarded as a dream poem because Coleridge himself said so. Without doubting the correctness of this account, however, it may be asserted that a poem need not be judged even according to the poet's own assessment of it. It is possible to regard this poem as a complete whole.
The Source of the Poem. Coleridge himself has pointed out that he is reading a book when he fell asleep, and that certain lines in this book touches off his imagination. These lines are so suggestive that they give rise to the dream in which the poet see all the images and the words.
The book that Coleridge is reading is called Purchas's Pilgrimage. The actual lines in the book which describe the pleasure house built by Kubla Khan are as follows:
"In Xanadu did Kubla Can (Khan) build a stately palace encompassing six teen miles of plain ground with a wall wherein are fertile meadows, pleasant springs, delightful streams, all sorts of beasts of chase, game and in the midst therefore of a sumptuous house of pleasure."
These words are of course different from the words ascribed to this book in Coleridge's account of the origin of this poem. Coleridge is obviously quoting from memory. He only presents his summary of the actual lines of the book.
Of course the actual words of the book do not at all matter. The book only serves to start a process of creation in the poet. This poem is an example, therefore, of the poetic process in which the imagination works.
The matter of fact account in Purchas's Pilgrimage is transformed by the poet into a vision. The vision is followed by the description of another. In the end, the process of creation itself is described by the poet in terms of suggestion and poetry.
The following fragment is here published at the request of a poet of great and deserved celebrity (Lord Byron), and as far as the Author's own opinions are concerned, rather as a psychological curiosity, than on the ground of any supposed poetic merits.
In the summer of the year 1792, the Author, then in ill health, has retired to a lonely farm-house between Porlock and Linton, on the Ex-moor confines of Somerset and Devonshire. In consequence of a slight indisposition, an anodyne has been prescribed, from the effects of which he fell asleep in his chair at the moment that he is ready the following sentence, or words of the same substance, in 'Purchas's Pilgrimage': "Here the Khan Kubla commands a palace to be built, and a stately garden there unto. And thus ten miles of fertile ground were includes with a wall." The Author continued for about three hours in a profound sleep, at least of the confidence, that he could not have composed less than from two to three hundred lines; if that indeed can be called composition in which all the images rose up before him as things, with a parallel production of the correspondent expressions, without any sensation or consciousness of effort. On awaking he appears to himself to have a distinct recollection of the whole, and taking his pen, ink, and paper, instantly and eagerly wrote down the lines that are here preserved. At this moment he was unfortunately called out by a person on business from Porlock, and detained by him above an hour, and on his return to his room, found to his no small surprise and mortification. That though he still retains some vague and dim recollection of the general purport of the vision, yet, with the exception of some eight or ten scattered lines and images, all the rest has passed away like the images on the surface of a stream into which a stone has been cast, but, alas! without the after restoration of the latter!
Yes from the still surviving recollection in his mind, the Author has frequently purposed to finish for himself what has been originally, as it is, given to him. Eauepov aow aew: but the tomorrow is yet to come.
As contrast to this vision, I have annexed a fragment of a very different character; describing with equal fidelity the dream of pain and disease.
SUMMARY
Kubla Khan orders a splendid pleasure dome to be built where the sacred river Alph ran underground down to a dark sea. These encloses ten miles of fertile grounds with walls and towers. Within these walls are gardens full of fragrant flower trees and old forest enclosing green fields. (Lines 1-11)
A romantic chasm leans out against a green hill that lay across a cavern of cedar trees. It is a savage place-here a woman might have bewailed on a dim moonlit night the loss of her demon lover. A mighty fountain throws out jets of water every moment, and scatters fragments of stone like grains under the rod of the thresher. Amidst these dancing rocks the sacred river Alph take its rise and wound its zig-zag course through woods and valleys for five miles until it reaches the caverns measureless to man down to a lifeless ocean. Here Kubla Khan hears his ancestors prophesying war. The shadow of his pleasure dome rested on the middle of the river. It was a palace of wonder - a sunny pleasure dome with caves of ice. (Lines 12-36)
The poet see an Abyssinian maiden playing on a dulcimer and singing of mount Abora. If he can recall the maiden and that song, he will build a similar dome in the air, and whoever hear will call upon men to beware of his flashing eyes and floating hair. They will weave a circle round the poet and close their eyes in fear. For the poet has fed on honey-dew and he has drunk the milk of Paradise. (Lines 36-54)
DEVELOPMENT OF THOUGHT AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Development of Thought
Kubla Khan's Sunny Pleasure-house. Kubla Khan ordered a pleasure-house to be built at Xanadu. Alph River ran through underground caves to the dark sea. So ten miles of land are enclosed by walls. There were gardens with zig-zag streams; there are trees with flowers having sweet perfume. There are ancient forests as old as the hills. Also, there are sunny spots of greenery.
Noise of River Alph and Ancestral Voices telling of Wars. There is a romantic chasm full of cedar trees. It seems a magical place, where in moonlight, a woman might come weeping over her ghost-lover who has broken her heart. From this valley, a fountain of water has gushed out of the ground every moment. This burst of water throw up stones, which looks like hail or chaff being scattered around. This fountain is the source of River Alph, which for some miles ran underground and then fell into the silent sea.
In the midst of this noise of water and waves, Kubla heard from far, ancestral voices prophesying war.
Sunny Palace with Caves of Ice. The shadow of the pleasure-house fell mid-way on the waves of the river. It is a strange miracle - a sunny pleasure dome with caves of ice.
The Magic of the Girl's Music. Once the poet saw in a dream, an Abyssinian girl playing on her dulcimer (musical instruments) and signing a song of Mount Abora. If the poet could recall that song, he with the power of music create the sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice. People will think him to be a magician, who has eaten honey dew and drunk the milk of Paradise (Heaven).
Critical Analysis
Contrast With the Other Two Great Poems. Kubla Khan is one of the three great poems of Coleridge. It is the shortest but in some ways the most remarkable of the three. It differs from the other two in that it does not relate a story. It is a piece of description. The first part describes a mighty river and a rare pleasure-dome constructed on it by a mighty conqueror, Kubla Khan. The later part describes the power of poetry and inspiration as well as a poet in the frenzy of creation.
Coleridge's Account of the Origin of the Poem. The poem is described by Coleridge himself as a fragment. According to him it is only a part of the poem of two to three hundred lines which has come to him in a dream. Not only does he actually see the picture that he paints in the poem; even the lines and the words came to him, just as they are. But he can not complete the poem as he was interrupted by, a visitor and the vision faded.
Is the Poem a Fragment? Ever since then, critics have regarded this poem as a fragment. Not all critics, however, are of this view. For example, George Saintsbury disbelieves Coleridge's statement. He remarks, the prose rigmarole in which Coleridge tells the story of the coming and going of the vision called Kubla Khan is "a characteristic piece of self-description." It is his view that the poem is not a fragment. Says he, "Far from being an opium dream, Kubla Khan is the product of one unexpected lucid interval before the fumes closes up once more the expression of the spirit; moreover, it is complete. It is pure poetry, it is perfect." A modern critic named Humphrey House also holds that the poem is complete. He regards it a poem about the process of poetic creation, about the ecstasy of imaginative fulfillment.
Airy and Unsubstantial. At first reading, the poem gives the impression of being "airy and unsubstantial". It gives us the feeling that it has no coherence and that the two parts of the poem do not hangs together. The first part describes the river Alph. The second part describes a vision and then a poet in frenzy. Even in the first part, the description does not follow an even course. It wanders and wanders like the river Alph. There seems to be no connection between the river Alph and the Abyssinian maiden.
It has Coherence and Substance. A closer study, however, convinces us that the poem is not as innocent as it seems to be. It cannot be explained in rational terms, but when we follow the course of the associations and suggestions that runs through the poem, it does yields a coherent meaning.
An Interpretation Beats His Imagination. The poet's imagination is much aroused by the river Alph and its subterranean course. The measureless caverns, the panting earth, the dancing rocks, sunless and lifeless sea, the tumult of the mighty waves as they rush into the silent ocean, the scene where a woman wails for her demon lover - all these excites his imagination. A feeling of awe and mystery is upon him, and he is lifted into a mood of poetic creation.
The Damsel; Symbol of Creative Power. This suggests him the power of creation in man. It arouses in him the desire to capture the weird beauty of the entire scene, and reminds him that this can be built in colours, strains and words. The symbol of this creative power is the maiden whom he see in a vision.
The poet, therefore, glides into his new theme through suggestion. The two parts are connected by the poet's desire to build a pleasure dome with the help of his imagination. He then describes the poet when the fit of creation is upon him.
Coherence Only of a Dream. Such an interpretation is possible and so the poem can be shown to be complete. But the coherence and the completeness of this poem is the coherence and the completeness of a dream, not of waking life. In fact, the whole poem follows the course of a dream. Even the description of the river Alph has this dream-like quality. The pictures are repeated, and it is not easy to follow the course of the river exactly. It is also difficult to conclude whether the river has an entire course of ten miles or whether this is only a part of the course. Again, it is not at all possible to say with confidence how the wild and the fertile parts of the course of the river are related to each other. Again the transition from the description of the river to the description of the vision is abrupt, and the connection between the first and the second part tenuous. In vividness as well as lack of smooth transitions, the poem is like a dream.
A Series of Pictures. This poem is a master-piece of descriptive art. It has a pictorial quality about it. In fact, the poem is nothing but a series of pictures that follow each other in quick succession. After announcing that Kubla Khan decreed a pleasure-dome, the poet describes the course of river Alph. Then he builds up the picture of a romantic chasm - a scene of vast desolation in the dim light of the moon. Then follows the picture of the mighty fountain. The picture of the course of the river is repeated, and is followed by a picture of the pleasure-dome. Then comes a description of the vision, and finally the description of the poet in frenzy.
Combination of Vagueness and Vividness. These pictures are at once vivid and yet vague. This is exactly what happens in a dream. The impressions of a dream have clear outline, and yet they concentrate only on a few details, the rest being left vague. In other words, the description leaves much to the imagination of the reader they are suggestive, not explicit. For example, what exactly do we know, about the pleasure-dome - that it was situated on the bank of the river Alph, that it had a sunny dome and caves of ice, that its shadow fell on the floating waves and that it was haunts by the tumult of the mighty river.
Equally vague and yet vivid is the picture of the river. We cannot answer a definite question about it. How far, we ask, was the sunless sea from the pleasure-dome? How far is the fountain head of the river? Was the entire course of the river only ten miles? And these questions have no answer because the entire description has the indefiniteness of a dream.
The Mystery of the Scene. This vagueness, however, is the greatest strength of the description. It leaves so much to suggestion that every reader with a little imagination will build a vast scene of his own. The mystery becomes more effective because of this vast vision of vagueness which surrounds the vivid picture of the poem.
The Touch of the Supernatural. Several touches in the poem raises from the region of everyday realities to that of a supernatural world. The details are realistic, and each detail has an actual counterpart somewhere. The total impression, however, is of an unearthly rather than earthly scene.
This is achieved with the help of deft touches scattered in the poem. The very mention of Xanadu', Kubla Khan, Alph, Abora and the Abyssinian maid evokes associations of remoteness, mystery and strangeness. "The woman wailing for her demon-lover," the chasm "seething with ceaseless turmoil," "the earth breathing in thick pants", "the huge fragments" thrown up by the waves "the caverns measureless to man", "the sunless, lifeless ocean", "the ancestral voices prophesying war", "the caves of ice", the poet with "his flashing eyes, his floating hair", fed on honey-dew and milk of Paradise, the circle woven around him th rice-all these are touches which make the poem of a supernatural world.