Kubla Khan written by ST Coleridge is all about imaginations. To explain the romantic elements in the poem, we must know that the preceding age i.e. the Neoclassical Age was considered to be the age of reason. Imaginations were replaced by reality.

The Romantics totally rejected the rationality and logic in literature and particularly in poetry. They rather focused on imaginations and creativity and for that nature was the only solution. Hence they took up the maxims “Art for the art’s sake” and “Return back to nature“.

Kubla Khan as a Romantic Poem is all about the nature and its appreciation. The poem consists of four stanzas and after each stanza, the level of imaginations and creativity goes deeper and ultimately, there is the willing suspension of disbelief.

In the first stanza, the poet appreciates the man-made beauty of City of Xanadu. In the next stanza, he moves to the beauty of divine creativity. In the third stanza, he creates and artefact by combining the Creativity of Kubla Khan and that of Nature- an act of pure imaginations.

In the final stanza, he talks about “a damsel with dulcimer” who is an African. Her music is quite charming. The poet says that by combining all the creativities (in imaginations) he will drink “the milk of paradise”.

Thus the poem is full of imaginations and what the poet experiences is because of his willing suspension of disbelief.