Poetry · Chapter
A Voluptuary explained
The narrator addresses a figure of luxury and indulgence, a master of revels in a pleasure-dome by the sea, who keeps a poet to chronicle his hedonistic nights.
What happens
The narrator addresses a figure of luxury and indulgence, a master of revels in a pleasure-dome by the sea, who keeps a poet to chronicle his hedonistic nights. The speaker expresses a desire to join the revels, claiming discretion.
Themes in this chapter
Nature and Artifice
The pleasure-dome by the sea and the mingling of orange blossoms with spicy tales highlight the blend of natural beauty and artificial, sensual indulgence.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The speaker who addresses the voluptuary and offers to join the revels.
- The Master
The voluptuary, master of the pleasure-dome and revels, addressed as 'Sir' and 'Master of the Revels'.
Key passages
“Fresh from 'the palms and temples of the South,' The mixed aromas quarrel in his mouth: Of orange blossoms this the lingering gale, And that the odor of a spicy tale.”
The voluptuary arrives from the South, his breath carrying conflicting scents of orange blossoms and a spicy story.
Describes the sensory richness and moral ambiguity of the character.
“Sir, in thy pleasure-dome down by the sea (No finer one did Kubla Khan decree) Where, Master of the Revels, thou dost stand With joys and mysteries on either hand, Dost keep a poet to report the rites And sing the tale of those Elysian nights?”
Do you, as master of ceremonies in your seaside pleasure palace, employ a poet to document and celebrate your hedonistic evenings?
Directly questions the voluptuary about his lifestyle and its chronicling.