While Coleridge did not write poetry specifically for young adults, “Kubla Kahn” is frequently read in schools as a companion piece to “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” The two poems are different in that “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is a finished narrative, whereas the incomplete “Kubla Kahn” is best described as a lyrical mood poem. Still, because these poems are Romantic in conception, both present foreign locales and deal with the past. Each is expressed in “natural” language and is concerned with mystical and supernatural events.
Literally dozens of recordings (both cassette tapes and phonograph records) have been made of “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” Many film versions of the poem have been produced as well. In 1982 an award-winning, sixty-minute-long film adaptation was directed by Raul de Silva. The first part of this color film covers the poet’s life, while the second part features Sir Michael Redgrave’s recitation of the poem.
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