Finisterre by Sylvia Plath Summary

This was the land’s end: the last fingers, knuckled and rheumatic,
Cramped on nothing. Black
Admonitory cliffs, and the sea exploding
With no bottom, or anything on the other side of it,
Whitened by the faces of the drowned.
Now it is only gloomy, a dump of rocks —-
Leftover soldiers from old, messy wars.
The sea cannons into their ear, but they don’t budge.
Other rocks hide their grudges under the water.

The cliffs are edged with trefoils, stars and bells
Such as fingers might embroider, close to death,
Almost too small for the mists to bother with.
The mists are part of the ancient paraphernalia —-
Souls, rolled in the doom-noise of the sea.
They bruise the rocks out of existence, then resurrect them.
They go up without hope, like sighs.
I walk among them, and they stuff my mouth with cotton.
When they free me, I am beaded with tears.

Our Lady of the Shipwrecked is striding toward the horizon,
Her marble skirts blown back in two pink wings.
A marble sailor kneels at her foot distractedly, and at his foot
A peasant woman in black
Is praying to the monument of the sailor praying.
Our Lady of the Shipwrecked is three times life size,
Her lips sweet with divinity.
She does not hear what the sailor or the peasant is saying —-
She is in love with the beautiful formlessness of the sea.

Gull-colored laces flap in the sea drafts
Beside the postcard stalls.
The peasants anchor them with conches. One is told:
“These are the pretty trinkets the sea hides,
Little shells made up into necklaces and toy ladies.
They do not come from the Bay of the Dead down there,
But from another place, tropical and blue,
We have never been to.
These are our crêpes. Eat them before they blow cold.”

“Finisterre” by Sylvia Plath is a poem that vividly describes the rugged beauty of Cape Finisterre and explores themes of death, faith, and the mysteries of the sea. The poem is divided into four stanzas, each offering a unique perspective on the cape and its surroundings.

The poem begins by portraying Cape Finisterre as the land’s end, with cliffs resembling old, knuckled fingers. The poet describes the cliffs as admonitory, warning of the perilous sea that has claimed many lives. The sea is depicted as harsh and uncaring, with rocks hiding the grudges of those who have met their demise beneath its waves.

In this stanza, the cliffs are compared to an old lady’s embroidered cloth, adorned with trefoils, stars, and bells. The poet introduces the souls of the drowned, expressing their lack of hope and the poet’s own sense of despair. The imagery suggests a somber atmosphere, with tears beading the poet’s face.

The focus shifts to a monumental figure called “Our Lady of the Shipwrecked,” a statue larger than life, striding toward the horizon. The lady, made of marble, seems unresponsive to the prayers of a sailor and a peasant woman at her feet. She is described as being in love with the beautiful formlessness of the sea, emphasizing a connection between the divine and the vast ocean.

The final stanza brings the reader to the present moment. Gull-colored laces flutter beside postcard stalls, and peasants anchor them with conches. Pilgrims offer the poet crêpes, small pancakes, as a gesture of warmth and hospitality. The reference to hidden trinkets in the sea adds an element of mystery, and the poem concludes with an invitation to eat the crêpes before they grow cold.

In summary, “Finisterre” captures the essence of Cape Finisterre through evocative language and rich imagery. The poem delves into the harshness of the sea, the ancient history associated with the location, and the spiritual dimensions of the landscape. Plath’s exploration of death, faith, and the sea’s mysterious allure makes “Finisterre” a poignant and thought-provoking piece.