Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner".

**Samuel Taylor Coleridge** (1772-1834) was, along with William Wordsworth, one of the great early figures in the English Romantic Movement. Wordsworth focused particularly on nature in his work. Coleridge often wrote about the mystical and the supernatural. In this meeting we will read two poems by Coleridge. The first is **“Kubla Khan”** a haunting poem about a great summer palace built by a Chinese emperor. The Second is **“The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”** which is a ballad that tells the story of a sailor who has returned after a long journey and who tells his story to an impatient listener. It is a tale of the perils faced by the crew of a ship in the Antarctic, a story of privation, fear and blame. The texts of these poems are available on poetryfoundation.org