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

Coleridge was, so far, the most challenging poet to understand. His use of complex words exploring the nook of the English language tends to “throw me off” a bit. However, I found a couple of his poems that I thought were interesting. My analysis might be a little off on those but bear with me…
“Kubla Khan” by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a poem that wants and requires you to have a very large imagination, and one that is wrapped around a poetry rarely found before. Coleridge throws his reader into a scenario worthy of paradise through the use of magical descriptions. While reading this poem, one can imagine a gorgeous world that only the creative power of mind can invent. Also, the poem strangely looks like a passage of the biblical stories of the creation of the Garden of Eden. God created Eden, as Kubla Khan created the “pleasure dome.” (2) The word “decree” (2) implies that it was Khan’s will which created the “pleasure dome”, once again just like it was God’s will to create Eden. However, Coleridge suddenly switches tone around the end of the poem to make the reader realize that unfortunately, such a heavenly world will never be seen on Earth because it is not sustainable. The mind has the ability to create an imaginary world that will never get close to being reproduced. Coleridge, through the power of words, makes us evade the real world to “float” around a world only poetry can describe. It is an ode to happiness and dreams.
In Samuel Taylor Coleridge's poem, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, the author recounts the story of a sailor and his crew to divulge many different facets of life. The Mariner's tale begins with him and his crew embarking on a journey. Despite their initial good fortune, the ship is driven off course by a storm. In the poem, the ship is a metaphor for a man. The ship encounters troubles and incidents just as an individual does. This symbol of a boat is an especially powerful one, because even though men are holding the steering wheel, its fate lies in the hands of the winds and currents. Coleridge, just like William Wordsworth, wants to demonstrate that we (humans) are no match for nature. We should not take it for granted, as we might be punished for such behavior. The mariner commits his sins at the beginning of his voyage and has no respect for nature. He does not realize that it is nature which provides him with his business and livelihood; he does not respect the one thing that he depends on most. He shows no gratitude towards nature and even uses harsh words to describe it: "Yea, slimy things did crawl with legs upon the slimy sea." (125-126) Also, the albatross is very meaningful in the poem. It symbolizes a powerful force, maybe even Christ, as Coleridge seems to be very religious. Just as the Mariner slays the bird for no valid reason, men crucified Christ. From what the Bible says, Christ represents mankind's one chance for getting into Heaven; however, men continue to persecute Him. In the same way, the albatross stands for the sailors' one chance at deliverance from an “icy death”, but the Mariner shoots him regardless, meaning the Mariner thinks he is stronger and does not need what actually is his most important “ally.” Finally, the South Pole is a symbol of Hell. No discernible wind pushes the ill-fated crew toward the South Pole. Rather it is described more as an unseen force which attracts them like a magnet. In reference to life’s circumstances so is the case when the world's enticements beckon one to Hell.