Sylvia Plath

Poems by Sylvia Plath

Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet and author. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for The Colossus and Other Poems (1960), Ariel (1965), and The Bell Jar, a semi-autobiographical novel published shortly before her suicide in 1963. The Collected Poems was published in 1981, which included previously unpublished works. For this collection Plath was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 1982, making her the fourth to receive this honor posthumously.

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Plath graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts and the University of Cambridge, England, where she was a student at Newnham College. Plath later studied with Robert Lowell at Boston University, alongside poets Anne Sexton and George Starbuck. She married fellow poet Ted Hughes in 1956, and they lived together in the United States and then in England. Their relationship was tumultuous and, in her letters, Plath alleges abuse at his hands. They had two children before separating in 1962.

Plath was clinically depressed for most of her adult life and was treated multiple times with early versions of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). She died by suicide in 1963.

Poems

  • "Célibataire" Read Poem
  • A Better Resurrection Read Poem
  • A Birthday Present Read Poem
  • A Lesson In Vengeance Read Poem
  • A Life Read Poem
  • A Secret Read Poem
  • A Sorcerer Bids Farewell To Seem Read Poem
  • A Winter Ship Read Poem
  • A Winter's Tale Read Poem
  • Above The Oxbow Read Poem
  • Admonition Read Poem
  • Aerialist Read Poem
  • Aftermath Read Poem
  • Alicante Lullaby Read Poem
  • All The Dead Dears Read Poem
  • Amnesiac Read Poem
  • Among The Narcissi Read Poem
  • An Appearance Read Poem
  • Apprehensions Read Poem
  • April 18 Read Poem
  • April Aubade Read Poem
  • Aquatic Nocturne Read Poem
  • Ariel Read Poem
  • Balloons Read Poem
  • Barren Woman Read Poem
  • Battle-Scene From the Comic Operatic Fantasy The Seafarer Read Poem
  • Berck-Plage Read Poem
  • Bitter Strawberries Read Poem
  • Black Pine Tree In An Orange Light Read Poem
  • Black Rook In Rainy Weather Read Poem
  • Blackberrying Read Poem
  • Blue Moles Read Poem
  • Bluebeard Read Poem
  • Brasilia Read Poem
  • Bucolics Read Poem
  • Burning The Letters Read Poem
  • By Candlelight Read Poem
  • Candles Read Poem
  • Channel Crossing Read Poem
  • Child Read Poem
  • Child's Park Stones Read Poem
  • Childless Woman Read Poem
  • Cinderella Read Poem
  • Circus In Three Rings Read Poem
  • Contusion Read Poem
  • Conversation Among The Ruins Read Poem
  • Crossing The Water Read Poem
  • Crystal Gazer Read Poem
  • Cut Read Poem
  • Daddy Read Poem
  • Danse Macabre Read Poem
  • Dark House Read Poem
  • Dark Wood, Dark Water Read Poem
  • Death & Co. Read Poem
  • Denouement Villanelle Read Poem
  • Departure Read Poem
  • Dialogue Between Ghost And Priest Read Poem
  • Dialogue En Route Read Poem
  • Dirge For A Joker Read Poem
  • Doom Of Exiles Read Poem
  • Doomsday Read Poem
  • Dream With Clam-Diggers Read Poem
  • Eavesdropper Read Poem
  • Edge Read Poem
  • Electra On Azalea Path Read Poem
  • Ella Mason And Her Eleven Cats Read Poem
  • Elm Read Poem
  • Epitaph For Fire And Flower Read Poem
  • Epitaph In Three Parts Read Poem
  • Event Read Poem
  • Fable Of The Rhododendron Stealers Read Poem
  • Face Lift Read Poem
  • Family Reunion Read Poem
  • Faun Read Poem
  • Female Author Read Poem
  • Fiesta Melons Read Poem
  • Finisterre Read Poem
  • Firesong Read Poem
  • Flute Notes From A Reedy Pond Read Poem
  • For A Fatherless Son Read Poem
  • Frog Autumn Read Poem
  • Full Fathom Five Read Poem
  • Getting There Read Poem
  • Gigolo Read Poem
  • Go Get The Goodly Squab Read Poem
  • Goatsucker Read Poem
  • Gold Mouths Cry Read Poem
  • Green Rock, Winthrop Bay Read Poem
  • Gulliver Read Poem
  • Hardcastle Crags Read Poem
  • Heavy Woman Read Poem
  • I Am Vertical Read Poem
  • I Want, I Want Read Poem
  • In Midas' Country Read Poem
  • In Plaster Read Poem
  • Incommunicado Read Poem
  • Insolent Storm Strikes At The Skull Read Poem
  • Insomniac Read Poem
  • Jilted Read Poem
  • Kindness Read Poem
  • Lady Lazarus Read Poem
  • Lament Read Poem
  • Landowners Read Poem
  • Last Words Read Poem
  • Leaving Early Read Poem
  • Lesbos Read Poem
  • Letter In November Read Poem
  • Letter To A Purist Read Poem
  • Little Fugue Read Poem
  • Lorelei Read Poem
  • Love Is A Parallax Read Poem
  • Love Letter Read Poem
  • Lyonnesse Read Poem
  • Mad Girl's Love Song Read Poem
  • Maenad Read Poem
  • Magi Read Poem
  • Magnolia Shoals Read Poem
  • Man In Black Read Poem
  • Mary's Song Read Poem
  • Maudlin Read Poem
  • Medallion Read Poem
  • Medusa Read Poem
  • Memoirs Of A Spinach-Picker Read Poem
  • Metamorphoses Of The Moon Read Poem
  • Metaphors Read Poem
  • Midsummer Mobile Read Poem
  • Mirror Read Poem
  • Miss Drake Proceeds To Supper Read Poem
  • Monologue At 3 AM Read Poem
  • Moonrise Read Poem
  • Moonsong At Morning Read Poem
  • Morning In The Hospital Solarium Read Poem
  • Morning Song Read Poem
  • Mushrooms Read Poem
  • Mussel Hunter At Rock Harbor Read Poem
  • Mystic Read Poem
  • Natural History Read Poem
  • Never Try To Trick Me With A Kiss Read Poem
  • New Year On Dartmoor Read Poem
  • Nick And The Candlestick Read Poem
  • Night Shift Read Poem
  • Notes To A Neophyte Read Poem
  • Ode For Ted Read Poem
  • Old Ladies' Home Read Poem
  • On Deck Read Poem
  • On Looking Into The Eyes Of A Demon Lover Read Poem
  • On The Decline Of Oracles Read Poem
  • On The Difficulty Of Conjuring Up A Dryad Read Poem
  • On The Plethora Of Dryads Read Poem
  • Ouija Read Poem
  • Owl Read Poem
  • Paralytic Read Poem
  • Parliament Hill Fields Read Poem
  • Perseus Read Poem
  • Pheasant Read Poem
  • Poems, Potatoes Read Poem
  • Point Shirley Read Poem
  • Polly's Tree Read Poem
  • Poppies In July Read Poem
  • Poppies In October Read Poem
  • Private Ground Read Poem
  • Prologue To Spring Read Poem
  • Prospect Read Poem
  • Purdah Read Poem
  • Pursuit Read Poem
  • Recantation Read Poem
  • Resolve Read Poem
  • Rhyme Read Poem
  • Sculptor Read Poem
  • Sheep In Fog Read Poem
  • Sleep In The Mojave Desert Read Poem
  • Snakecharmer Read Poem
  • Soliloquy Of The Solipsist Read Poem
  • Song For A Revolutionary Love Read Poem
  • Song For A Summer's Day Read Poem
  • Sonnet : To Eva Read Poem
  • Sonnet To Satan Read Poem
  • Sonnet: To Time Read Poem
  • Southern Sunrise Read Poem
  • Sow Read Poem
  • Spider Read Poem
  • Spinster Read Poem
  • Stars Over The Dordogne Read Poem
  • Stillborn Read Poem
  • Stings Read Poem
  • Stopped Dead Read Poem
  • Street Song Read Poem
  • Strumpet Song Read Poem
  • Suicide Off Egg Rock Read Poem
  • Tale Of A Tub Read Poem
  • Temper Of Time Read Poem
  • Terminal Read Poem
  • Thalidomide Read Poem
  • The Applicant Read Poem
  • The Arrival Of The Bee Box Read Poem
  • The Babysitters Read Poem
  • The Beast Read Poem
  • The Bee Meeting Read Poem
  • The Beekeeper's Daughter Read Poem
  • The Beggars Read Poem
  • The Bull Of Bendylaw Read Poem
  • The Burnt-Out Spa Read Poem
  • The Colossus Read Poem
  • The Companionable Ills Read Poem
  • The Courage Of Shutting-Up Read Poem
  • The Couriers Read Poem
  • The Dead Read Poem
  • The Death Of Myth-Making Read Poem
  • The Detective Read Poem
  • The Dispossessed Read Poem
  • The Disquieting Muses Read Poem
  • The Dream Read Poem
  • The Everlasting Monday Read Poem
  • The Eye-Mote Read Poem
  • The Fearful Read Poem
  • The Ghost's Leavetaking Read Poem
  • The Glutton Read Poem
  • The Goring Read Poem
  • The Great Carbuncle Read Poem
  • The Hanging Man Read Poem
  • The Hermit At Outermost House Read Poem
  • The Jailer Read Poem
  • The Lady And The Earthenware Head Read Poem
  • The Manor Garden Read Poem
  • The Moon And The Yew Tree Read Poem
  • The Munich Mannequins Read Poem
  • The Net-Menders Read Poem
  • The Night Dances Read Poem
  • The Other Read Poem
  • The Other Two Read Poem
  • The Princess And The Goblins Read Poem
  • The Queen's Complaint Read Poem
  • The Rabbit Catcher Read Poem
  • The Ravaged Face Read Poem
  • The Rival Read Poem
  • The Shrike Read Poem
  • The Sleepers Read Poem
  • The Snowman on the Moor Read Poem
  • The Stones Read Poem
  • The Surgeon At 2 A.M. Read Poem
  • The Swarm Read Poem
  • The Thin People Read Poem
  • The Times Are Tidy Read Poem
  • The Tour Read Poem
  • The Trial Of A Man Read Poem
  • Three Women Read Poem
  • Tinker Jack And The Tidy Wives Read Poem
  • To A Jilted Lover Read Poem
  • To Eva Descending The Stair Read Poem
  • Totem Read Poem
  • Touch-And-Go Read Poem
  • Trio Of Love Songs Read Poem
  • Tulips Read Poem
  • Two Campers In Cloud Country Read Poem
  • Two Lovers And A Beachcomber By The Real Sea Read Poem
  • Two Sisters Of Persephone Read Poem
  • Two Views Of A Cadaver Room Read Poem
  • Two Views Of Withens Read Poem
  • Vanity Fair Read Poem
  • Verbal Calisthenics Read Poem
  • Virgin In A Tree Read Poem
  • Waking In Winter Read Poem
  • Watercolor Of Grantchester Meadows Read Poem
  • Whiteness I Remember Read Poem
  • Whitsun Read Poem
  • Who Read Poem
  • Widow Read Poem
  • Winter Landscape, With Rooks Read Poem
  • Winter Trees Read Poem
  • Wintering Read Poem
  • Witch Burning Read Poem
  • Words Read Poem
  • Words Heard, By Accident, Over The Phone Read Poem
  • WordsFor A Nursery Read Poem
  • Wreath For A Bridal Read Poem
  • Wuthering Heights Read Poem
  • Yaddo : The Grand Manor Read Poem
  • Yadwigha, On A Red Couch, Among Lillies Read Poem
  • Years Read Poem
  • You're Read Poem
  • Zoo-Keeper's Wife Read Poem
  • Fever 103° Read Poem
  • Nick and the Candlestick Read Poem
  • On the Decline of Oracles Read Poem
  • You’re Read Poem