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Genius Annotation

In this poem Plath sees the passing of the years from two perspectives. Firstly, she presents an indifferent God and claims that ‘Eternity bores me…’ , unusually so as in her other poems — like Lady Lazarus, Daddy etc — God is male and violent. Here he is the ‘great Stasis’ in ‘vacuus black’ and she is ‘bored’ by him.

Motion, however, is positive. The ‘piston in motion’ and the ‘hooves of the horses’ and their ‘merciless churn’ have greater appeal for Plath. She ends in the final couplet with an affirmation of movement and, ironically, vigorous future life.

Sylvia Plath was ambivalent about religion throughout her life, as is evident in this poem.

Structure
The poem comprises four stanzas of ten, five, eight and two lines each. There is no regular rhyme scheme and the lines are of irregular length.

Language and Imagery
Plath uses a range of imagery to convey the opposing themes of a static god and movement in the guise of rapidly passing years. Horses are a frequently used device in Plath’s poetry to express freedom and release.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

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