This is a strikingly vivid image as the poet uses colour to give an increased impact, with the cedarn cover being the source of the colour emittion. The poem continues to add a dramatic link to romance with the process that the poet is experiencing.
‘ A savage place! As holy and enchanted
As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon lover’
This is the point where, the once subdued projection of the process of creativity changes. When describing aspects of the pleasure dome to be ‘savage’, ‘holy’ and ‘ enchanted’, the poem is given a darker, more intense and perhaps bewitching atmosphere. This leads the reader to believe the process is some what magical. The situation with the woman calling out for her lost love is a typical gothic love story. This link with romance and dark passion renders the process of creativity to have increasing depth as it asserts various different emotions. By describing the woman to be wailing, Coleridge is using onaematopaeia which not only provides a clearer image but also awakens the sense of hearing, making the process more physical therefore heightening the intensity of the experience.
As the poem reaches the climax of the experience, the amount of activity greatens.
‘ And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething
As if this earth in fast thick pants were bretahing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced:’
The poet persists on enhancing the intensity of the experience by involving more and more emotions such as confusion and anger. One also notices that the level of excitement of the poet increases dramatically. Coleridge introduces personification in the second line to allow the reader to realise that it is not only the poet that is affected by the intesity of the process but also the elements around him. This could be inferred as Coleridge stating his substantial influence upon surrounding people and , or fellow poets. The fountain represents the climax of the experience, as the poet’s imagination spills out from deep within him to the surface where others can see and share his thoughts and feelings. The poet prolongs this climax to ensure that the reader fully comprehends the power that he is enduring.
‘ Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail:
And ’mid these dancing rocks once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river’
The poet explains how the in the height of his experience imagination moves everything. The ‘ fragments’, ‘ grain’ and ‘ rocks’ all symbolise ideas and are shown to be triggered off to become active by imagtination . The poet uses a clever method of enhancing the power of imagination by describing huge boulders and rocks in the river to be moved by the river like virtually weightless matter such as hail and grain. This makes the reader aware of how ideas are uncontrollably processing in the poet’s mind by the imagination.
When the climax finishes, so does the poet’s enthusiasm and excitement.
‘ 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’
Coleridge uses alliteration when describing the meandering, mazy motion of the river as it slows the poem down to a slower tempo. This is very efficient as it suits the new mood of the poem. In using words such as ‘ meandering’, ‘ mazy’ and ‘ sank’, the process is gradually loses its life and fast pace. The previous series of active events have tired out the poet, as the process was both extremely demanding both mentally and physically, thus the poem reflects the exhausted behaviour of the poet. The process of creativity can therefore be viewed as demanding and exhausting. Coleridge also talks of the river flowing into a ‘ lifeless ocean’, this represents the poet’s optimum thoughts and feelings being exposed to thers. By describing his audience as a ‘ lifeless ocean’, Coleridge is predicting that they will be unappriciative of his work as they could never understand let alone feel his experience on the same level that he did. This brings a negative edge to the poem and this proceeds as the poem continues.
‘ And ’mid this tumult Khan heard from far
Ancentral voices prophesying war;
The shadow of the pleasure dome
Floated midway on the waves’
The poet buils on the idea that his work could never have the impact that he had desired and as Kubla Khan symbolises the poet, the poet is warned. These warnings are of a ‘ war’ or conflict against those who will challenge his ideas. The shadow casting over the pleasure dome extends Kubla’s premonition that something unwanted is to occur. To make sure that the reader is completely convinced of the hazardous future of the poet, the pleasure dome is described as,
‘ A sunny pleasure dome with caves of ice’
This is a very accurate description as the poet has created this magical, enchanting place but as the ‘ caves of ice’ symbolise, no-one can see or feel this place in the way that Coleridge does and therefore its beauty is tarnished.
The third stanza completes the poet’s prophesies and also determines what led to the creation of the pleasure dome in the first place. The initial inspiration behind the pleasure dome derived from Coleridge’s natural surroundings. Romantics often found that nature was the best catylst for their inspiration. It is inspiration that set off the imagination which in turn created the pleasure dome in the poet’s mind. It is apparent that nature was the origin of the inspiration as the poet thrives off the natural aspects and environment in the poem. However, as the process has come to an end, Coleridge desperately searches for new inspiration. This tells the reader that the prcoess of creativity is one that excites the poet and it addictive. Coleridge may have relied so heavily on and thrown himself so deeply in this addictive process as an escape from his drug abuse; swapping one addiction for another. His newfound inspiration comes from a vision of a dulcimer-playing damsel that he once saw. This damsel acts as a muse for the poet.
‘ Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such delight ’twould win me’
When one is driven even by the most powerful inspiration, it is not possible to be able to pass on the same inspiration to others in the way that you have felt it. If the poet could take the inspiration founded by the muse he would,
‘ build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! Those caves of ice!’
Even though the ‘ caves of ice’ had been a negative aspect of the poem, Coleridge is so desperate to be able to make others undergo the same experience he did, that he would endure even the negative experiences.
The poet’s prophesy of conflict with those who challenge his ideas, are further explained in the last stanza. The poet realises that his work could never be fully appriciated and acknowledges the consequences of his powerful imagination.
‘ All should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!’
Coleridge becomes aware that many will mistake his imagination for insanity and will condem him rather than praise him for the results of his creativity. The poem ends with the poet’s prediction of his destiny.
‘ 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’
Social rejection is the unjust consequence of Coleridge’s passion for creativity. As he explains, people will fear him and treat him differently. Many Romantic poets also experienced this treatment as it was considered unusual in that time period for men to be in touch with their emotions and therefore Romantic poet’s were viewed as perculiar.
Coleridge uses “ Kubla Khan” to show the reader how the process of creativity works and what it can acheive. The process of creativity orginates in one’s mind, when imagination is triggered off by inspiration. The process is amazingly powerful and both mentally and physically tiring and it’s results, like the pleasure dome of Xanadu are remarkable. Coleridge uses many clever techniques such as alliteration, methaphores, onamatapeia, comparisons and hidden symbols to emphasise the impact and intensity of the process of creativity. Coleridge also structures his poem to suit the style of his poem. The first stanza, gives an insight in to what it to come and what can be acheived by the process of creativity and acts as a sort of introduction for the process. The second stanza is extremely detailed and lively and shows the actual process of creativity. The third stanza almost defends Coleridge’s work and ends the poem with the message that no-one could ever understand let alone feel the Coleridge’s experiences in the way that he can and does.
