he poem’s structure reflects the chaotic and associative nature of a dream because:

• Dreamlike Origin: Subtitled “A Vision in a Dream. A Fragment,” the poem was inspired by an opium-induced dream that Coleridge attempted to capture upon waking.

• Non-linear Narrative: The poem shifts abruptly between Kubla Khan’s decree, the wild chasm, and the speaker’s memory of the Abyssinian maid, mimicking the unpredictable progression of a dream.

• Creative Tension: It juxtaposes human order (the pleasure-dome) with nature’s chaos (the river and chasm), reflecting the Romantic fascination with imagination versus untamed natural forces, much like a dream blends contrasting elements.

• Fragmentation: The poem remains unfinished due to the interruption by “the person from Porlock,” symbolizing the fleeting and elusive nature of inspiration, as in dreams.

This structure reinforces the fragmented, associative, and visionary qualities central to the poem’s dreamlike atmosphere.