Words - A poem by Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath - Words

Axes
After whose stroke the wood rings,
And the echoes!
Echoes traveling
Off from the center like horses.

The sap
Wells like tears, like the
Water striving
To re-establish its mirror
Over the rock

That drops and turns,
A white skull,
Eaten by weedy greens.
Years later I
Encounter them on the road----

Words dry and riderless,
The indefatigable hoof-taps.
While
From the bottom of the pool, fixed stars
Govern a life.

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Added: Feb 20 2003 | Viewed: 32663 times |

Comments (5)

Words - Comments and Information
Poet: Sylvia Plath Poem: Words Volume: The Collected Poems Year: Published/Written in 1963 Comment 5 of 5, added on December 24th, 2010 at 1:55 PM. words i think tihs is a poem of sylvia plath about her creativity where she know the power of her poetry tht I think this is a poetry of sylvia plath about her creative power of her poetry, that will govern for long years. And she is discovering herself in nature. aysa jhorna from Bangladesh Comment 4 of 5, added on July 27th, 2010 at 8:37 AM. my english exam hi. i'm writting a english exam on Wednesday and one of the poems are Words.we never analysed it in class, so i don't really understand what the poem is about. If anybody knows, please reply. thanks krisna krisnaels from South Africa Comment 3 of 5, added on February 13th, 2009 at 8:38 PM. At my high school, we've been studying a unit which examines how postwar composers- Plath, Heller and Beckett- dealt with the implications of World War Two, the atom bomb, a changing world, the hopes of the new era etc. In that light, you could interpret this poem as being a cynical statement by Plath that words- i.e. diplomacy, politics, statements of hope and optimism- are really meaningless. It's a bit harder to draw parallels with the unit than some of her other poems, I guess. Tom from Australia More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, Words, has received 5 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own.

Poem Info
Poet: Sylvia Plath Poem: Words Volume: The Collected Poems Year: Published/Written in 1963 Last read: 2013-05-22 22:29:04 Viewed 32663 times. Added Feb 20 2003.

Plath Info
Biography More Poems (121 poems) Sylvia Plath books