"Stately pleasure-dome decree", the temple of the godly Kublai Khan, the grandson of the great Genghis Khan, stretches its wise rule over the empire and benefits from the natural world instead of spreading total destruction. The poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Coleridge has two sides to its meaning. Coleridge is truly mesmerized by the beauty of the kingdom and the achievements of the Mongol empire, and the magnificence of the tribute temple which was a reflection of Khan's vision of future of Mongol cities. On the other hand, Coleridge is trying to show the relationship of the empire with nature. Through lines full of symbolism, like:"The shadow of the dome of pleasure floated midway on the waves" Coleridge is trying to show the harmonious rule of the Khan over nature instead of barbaric and cruel alteration of nature. Also, the fact that the sacred river brings the voices of the ancestors to the emperor shows the meaningful relationship of the Mongol culture and nature. Coleridge is trying to show this beautiful notion of civilization and nature coexistence. It is a definite contrast to the British empire from Coleridge's times. Coleridge's "vision" or a dream of the appreciation of the natural by the civilized world corresponds to most of the poems in Lyrical Ballads. By creating Kubla Khan Coleridge shows that such relationship between the natural and the civilized is possible and was once achieved by The Great Mongol Empire.
This is good, but don't you owe us a citation?
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