Lament by Sylvia Plath Summary

The sting of bees took away my father
who walked in a swarming shroud of wings
and scorned the tick of the falling weather.

Lightning licked in a yellow lather
but missed the mark with snaking fangs:
the sting of bees took away my father.

Trouncing the sea like a ragin bather,
he rode the flood in a pride of prongs
and scorned the tick of the falling weather.

A scowl of sun struck down my mother,
tolling her grave with golden gongs,
but the sting of bees took away my father.

He counted the guns of god a bother,
laughed at the ambush of angels’ tongues,
and scorned the tick of the falling weather.

O ransack the four winds and find another
man who can mangle the grin of kings:
the sting of bees took away my father
who scorned the tick of the falling weather.

“Lament” by Sylvia Plath is a poignant reflection on the loss of the speaker’s father and the profound impact it has had on her life. The poem is structured as a villanelle, a form characterized by repeating lines and a specific rhyme scheme.

In the first stanza, the speaker begins by lamenting the loss of her father due to the sting of bees. She describes him as someone who was surrounded by bees, perhaps alluding to his profession as an entomologist, and who seemed unaffected by the passage of time.

The second stanza continues to explore the speaker’s grief, depicting her father as fearless and defiant in the face of danger, represented by imagery of lightning and storms. Despite the dangers he faced, he remained resolute and unyielding.

In the third stanza, the speaker reflects on her mother’s death, which is juxtaposed with her father’s. While her mother succumbed to the ravages of time and illness, her father was taken suddenly by the sting of bees, highlighting the unpredictability and cruelty of life.

The fourth stanza delves into the speaker’s admiration for her father’s strength and resilience. Despite the challenges he faced, he laughed in the face of adversity and remained steadfast in his beliefs.

The fifth stanza serves as a challenge to find someone else who possesses the same remarkable qualities as her father. The speaker emphasizes his uniqueness and the difficulty of finding another individual who can match his spirit and charisma.

Finally, the sixth stanza concludes with a repetition of the poem’s central theme: the sting of bees took away the speaker’s father, who defied the odds and scorned the forces of nature. The repetition of the final line underscores the speaker’s ongoing grief and serves as a poignant reminder of the permanence of loss.

In summary, “Lament” is a deeply personal exploration of grief, resilience, and the enduring legacy of a loved one. Through vivid imagery and evocative language, Sylvia Plath captures the complex emotions surrounding loss and the profound impact it has on those left behind.