I think that the person from Porlock interrupted his fevered writing at the line "A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice". The poem changes with " A damsel with a dulcimer," I believe the damsel is his source of creativity where the first part of the poem came from. The first and second stanzas of the poem are the "symphony and song" And if he could recall her song, he could continue building the dome. I think when he continues, he is saying that if only he could remember the poem in its entirety and he could finish the poem people would think he was a magical devil for being able to create such a magnificent poem. That is why Coleridge says the poem isn't finished. Because it's not the poem that is the last stanza. It is his lamentations that he can't remember the rest to finish it.
Read Kubla Khan while listening to traditional Celtic and or Movie Soundtrack that defines the landscape of the scene. Really adds to the Drama while reading it
Maybe he is trying to describe his own mind in the state of an opium trip,capable of Utopian beauty and lucid illusio,then turning into chaos and horror.Is the Laudanum the milk of paradise?
I just read Richard Homes wonderful book Coleridge early visions it has totally opened my eyes, i have never really given poetry much notice but now i understand the intellectual process behind it .S.T Coleridge was an astonishingly perceptive man of high intelligence and sensitivity who (like a lot of people) was searching for some truths in the cosmos and the nature of being alive,my personal interpretation is that he genuinely had this vision in the state of an opium induced dream then converted it into a very measured lyrical visual language that works on many levels i know some people have credited the poem with a lot of sexual imagery the sexual rythms of the verse structure and the climatic eruption and caves etc. i wonder if this was intentional or formed in his dreaming state subconsciously? either way he has left us with a truly amazing work of art that we can own in our own imaginations that is so powerful 200 years later we are discussing it thousands of miles apart via a stream of electrons!
Certainly this reading makes good sense, and there is a tradition of reading this poem as a peek inside the mind of an extraordinary person on a powerful drug. But others suspect that this is more carefully crafted than it may appear, and that Coleridge is presenting a metaphorical picture of the seething mind of the artist. I have seen the draft of this poem at the New York Public Library, and I don't remember any edits, so I incline towards the more romantic, decadent reading.
The poems of Coleridge are amazing visual journeys just like watching a movie and in each readers mind they will appear unique to them,each person can be their own director of the movie
I think that the person from Porlock interrupted his fevered writing at the line "A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice". The poem changes with " A damsel with a dulcimer," I believe the damsel is his source of creativity where the first part of the poem came from. The first and second stanzas of the poem are the "symphony and song" And if he could recall her song, he could continue building the dome. I think when he continues, he is saying that if only he could remember the poem in its entirety and he could finish the poem people would think he was a magical devil for being able to create such a magnificent poem. That is why Coleridge says the poem isn't finished. Because it's not the poem that is the last stanza. It is his lamentations that he can't remember the rest to finish it.
Douglas Adams used the person from Porlock as one of the central themes of his Dirk Gently Holistic Detective Agency book
This video was a joy to listen to and so informative as well. Greatly appreciated.
Well said-Thank you for recording this. Coleridge is definitely one of my favorite poets
Of course. Saw that you are doing voiceover work as well! That's awesome!
@@lajphd Thank you very much
@@Ana8star If you want to collab on audiobooks or something in the future hmu!
@@lajphd Most Definitely!
Thank you for this beautiful interpretation and analysis-this poem has always haunted and attracted me at the same time
I watched a few videos about Kubla Khan, and this one is the best content-wise. The one problematic thing was the weird visual. It is distracting.
Excellent analysis of one of the most compelling poems ever written!
Read Kubla Khan while listening to traditional Celtic and or Movie Soundtrack that defines the landscape of the scene. Really adds to the Drama while reading it
Thank you for the analysis. it has helped my understanding of Coleridge and this poem.
This is a nice conversation. it helps a lot to understand poetry and literature. thank you so much guys. appreciate :)
Rashadd ddahsar glad you enjoyed it! Be sure to subscribe and download the Noetic app!
Done!
Rashadd ddahsar thank you!
(almost) no one does Coleridge correctly. I thank you dearly for this version/interpretation....xoxo
What’s up with the filter, though?
Think I was trying to channel the waking life at the time. thought it artsy
Maybe he is trying to describe his own mind in the state of an opium trip,capable of Utopian beauty and lucid illusio,then turning into chaos and horror.Is the Laudanum the milk of paradise?
truemansparks good question. I don't know off hand. Do leave resources if you find them.
I can ask and try to find out for you.
I just read Richard Homes wonderful book Coleridge early visions it has totally opened my eyes, i have never really given poetry much notice but now i understand the intellectual process behind it .S.T Coleridge was an astonishingly perceptive man of high intelligence and sensitivity who (like a lot of people) was searching for some truths in the cosmos and the nature of being alive,my personal interpretation is that he genuinely had this vision in the state of an opium induced dream then converted it into a very measured lyrical visual language that works on many levels i know some people have credited the poem with a lot of sexual imagery the sexual rythms of the verse structure and the climatic eruption and caves etc. i wonder if this was intentional or formed in his dreaming state subconsciously? either way he has left us with a truly amazing work of art that we can own in our own imaginations that is so powerful 200 years later we are discussing it thousands of miles apart via a stream of electrons!
Certainly this reading makes good sense, and there is a tradition of reading this poem as a peek inside the mind of an extraordinary person on a powerful drug. But others suspect that this is more carefully crafted than it may appear, and that Coleridge is presenting a metaphorical picture of the seething mind of the artist. I have seen the draft of this poem at the New York Public Library, and I don't remember any edits, so I incline towards the more romantic, decadent reading.
Fitz Hugh Ludlow is another great resource for Psychonautical Poetry
Aeolian harp. Aeolian is the sixth mode of a major diatonic musical key. Very pensive, melancholy. Also called the minor key.
The poems of Coleridge are amazing visual journeys just like watching a movie and in each readers mind they will appear unique to them,each person can be their own director of the movie