Coleridge

"Poetry is an art…of representing, in words, external nature and human thoughts and affections, both relatively to human affections, by the production of as much immediate pleasure in parts, as is compatible with the largest sum of pleasure in the whole”.

“It is essential to poetry that it should be simple, and appeal to the elements and primary laws of nature; that it should be sensuous, and by its imagery elicit truth at a flash; that it should be impassioned, and be able to move our feelings and awaken affection”.

“It was agreed that my endeavour should be directed to persons and characters supernatural, or at least romantic; yet so as to transfer from our inward nature a human interest and a semblance of truth sufficient to procedure for these shadows

of the imagination that willing suspension of belief for the moment which constitutes poetic faith”.

These three quotations are represented all through the poem. However, there are some stanzas that content more specific examples of each reference. The first stanza Coleridge relates nature in its basic form with human feelings and description.

“…the sacred river, ran…”
“…there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,”

While the second stanza tries to wake up emotion inside you making the reader experiment a mixed set of feelings and danger:

“Ancestral voices prophesying war!
The shadow of the dome of pleasure

Floated midway on the waves;

Where was heard the mingled measure

From the fountain and the caves.

It was a miracle of rare device,

A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!”

Finally, the last stanza refers mainly to pleasure of life and what elements can produce or moved people to feel. Poetry is simple and at the same time a compound of descriptions that play with feelings and dreams. That is basically what Coleridge does in this poem. He creates a place where could be possible to find pleasure, nature and danger. In my opinion, Coleridge represents how the world in those days and nowadays is.

“…he on honey-dew hath fed,

And drunk the milk of Paradise.”