Page "Kubla Khan" Paragraph 29

The work was set aside until 1815 when Coleridge compiled manuscripts of his poems for a collection titled Sibylline Leaves.

The poem remained buried in obscurity until a 10 April 1816 meeting between Coleridge and George Gordon Byron, a younger poet, who persuaded Coleridge to publish Christabel and Kubla Khan as fragments.

Leigh Hunt, another poet, witnessed the event and wrote, " He recited his ' Kubla Khan ' one morning to Lord Byron, in his Lordship's house in Piccadilly, when I happened to be in another room.

I remember the other's coming away from him, highly struck with his poem, and saying how wonderfully he talked.

This was the impression of everyone who heard him.

" Byron arranged for John Murray to publish the poem with Christabel and " The Pains of Sleep " along with prefaces to the works.

A contract was drawn up on 12 April 1816 for 80 pounds.

Charles Lamb, poet and friend of Coleridge, witnessed Coleridge's work towards publishing the poem and wrote to Wordsworth: " Coleridge is printing Xtabel by Lord Byron's recommendation to Murray, with what he calls a vision of Kubla Khan – which said vision he repeats so enchantingly that it irradiates & brings Heaven & Elysian bowers into my parlour while he sings or says it ".

Coleridge stayed in London to work on the poem and also to try and break his opium addiction ..

However, not everyone was happy with the idea of the poem's being published, as Coleridge's wife, who was not with him, wrote to Thomas Poole, " Oh!

when will he ever give his friends anything but pain?

he has been so unwise as to publish his fragments of ' Christabel ' & ' Kubla-Khan ' ... we were all sadly vexed when we read the advertisement of these things.