The Arrival Of The Bee Box - A poem by Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath - The Arrival Of The Bee Box

I ordered this, clean wood box
Square as a chair and almost too heavy to lift.
I would say it was the coffin of a midget
Or a square baby
Were there not such a din in it.

The box is locked, it is dangerous.
I have to live with it overnight
And I can't keep away from it.
There are no windows, so I can't see what is in there.
There is only a little grid, no exit.

I put my eye to the grid.
It is dark, dark,
With the swarmy feeling of African hands
Minute and shrunk for export,
Black on black, angrily clambering.

How can I let them out?
It is the noise that appalls me most of all,
The unintelligible syllables.
It is like a Roman mob,
Small, taken one by one, but my god, together!

I lay my ear to furious Latin.
I am not a Caesar.
I have simply ordered a box of maniacs.
They can be sent back.
They can die, I need feed them nothing, I am the owner.

I wonder how hungry they are.
I wonder if they would forget me
If I just undid the locks and stood back and turned into a tree.
There is the laburnum, its blond colonnades,
And the petticoats of the cherry.

They might ignore me immediately
In my moon suit and funeral veil.
I am no source of honey
So why should they turn on me?
Tomorrow I will be sweet God, I will set them free.

The box is only temporary.

Added: on February 27th, 2007 at 5:57 AM | Viewed: 8974 times | Comments and analysis of The Arrival Of The Bee Box by Sylvia Plath Comments (14)

The Arrival Of The Bee Box - Comments and Information
Poet: Sylvia Plath Poem: The Arrival Of The Bee Box Volume: The Collected Poems Year: Published/Written in 1962 Comment 14 of 14, added on October 6th, 2007 at 3:28 PM. Plath muses about suicide, she speaks about setting her thoughts free, playing ‘sweet God’ with her own life. Although as she says ‘tomorrow’ I sense that she is not yet ready for this huge step. Whilst suicide might not be her first option right now she does acknowledge that ‘The box is only temporary‘ and that death will ultimately be the only way to escape this ‘box of maniacs’ Karen from Ireland Comment 13 of 14, added on September 9th, 2007 at 7:18 PM. what do you think is the main mood and tone behind this masterpiece? shane from Ireland Comment 12 of 14, added on February 27th, 2007 at 5:57 AM. This poem was ultimately an example of Sylvia Plath's life. She felt "boxed up" and trapped and the final line speaks of how she views suicide as an escape. What several of you have said about the "government control" is very intelligent and kudos to you for noticing it. However, I don't personally think that Sylvia was thinking about government control when she wrote the poem, in fact, through-out most of her poetry she appears rather politically-apathetic. Matt from Australia More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, The Arrival Of The Bee Box, has received 14 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Sylvia Plath with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Sylvia Plath Poem: The Arrival Of The Bee Box Volume: The Collected Poems Year: Published/Written in 1962 Last read: Jul 19 2008, 5:27PM Viewed 8974 times. Added on February 27th, 2007 at 5:57 AM.

Plath Info
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