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I heard this on the radio earlier today, but the only further detail that I heard was that they have also found what might possibly be his grave.
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posted
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure-dome decree : Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round : And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree ; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery. ....
by Samuel Taylor Coleridge Xanadu
(Not that annoying skating musical with Olivia Newton John)
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quote:To stand within the Pleasure Dome Decreed by Kubla Khan To taste anew the fruits of life The last immortal man To find the sacred river Alph To walk the caves of ice Oh, I will dine on honeydew And drink the milk of Paradise
A thousand years have come and gone but time has passed me by Stars stopped in the sky Frozen in an everlasting view Waiting for the world to end, weary of the night Praying for the light Prison of the lost
Rush, Xanadu (Neil Pert's take on Coleridge's poem)
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posted
Actually, I found Coleridge to be rather disturbing, and not in a good way, when we studied him in 19th Century British Lit. And when I say I found him disturbing, I am referring just as much to the man himself as to his work.
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I really don't know that much about him. I dimly remember that he was an opium addict, but that's about it. What did you find disturbing about him?
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I've been meaning to buy and read that since it came out, Ryuko, but haven't gotten around to it yet (it came out a little after I finished my most recent Mongol kick). What did you think of it?
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posted
I actually didn't read it, though I want to. The author came and spoke at our school and he was fascinating. Some of the theories he introduced were sorta crackpotish, but now I want to read his book to see where his sources are.
The things he had to say about the language barrier and the introduction of trade from East to West were fascinating. He's easily the best speaker I've seen this year.
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posted
The opium-related stuff was pretty disturbing. He seems to have had a real love affair with the drug.
And Dag, I have never been very partial to Dirk Gently's HDA. (I like The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul better, and it's really not a very good book, either.) It certainly didn't make me any fonder of Coleridge.
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lawguy, I disliked both intensely the first time I read them. Then, about 6 years ago, I was desperate for something new to read and went through them again. That time I found them much better.
I don't know what changed between the two readings.
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For some reason, I now have the Rush lyrics going through my head to a tune from the movie Rock and Rule. I think I'm going to have to dig out the song and play to get my mind to reset.
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I just reread The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul last month, because I own it and had nothing better to read. I still find the ending singularly unsatisfying. Still more fun than Dirk Gently's HDA, in my opinion.
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