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Babies Quote by Sylvia Plath

“Nick and the Candlestick I am a miner. The light burns blue. Waxy stalactites Drip and thicken, tears The earthen womb Exudes from its dead boredom. Black bat airs Wrap me, raggy shawls, Cold homicides. They weld to me like plums. Old cave of calcium Icicles, old echoer. Even the newts are white…” quote by Sylvia Plath
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““Nick and the Candlestick I am a miner. The light burns blue. Waxy stalactites Drip and thicken, tears The earthen womb Exudes from its dead boredom. Black bat airs Wrap me, raggy shawls, Cold homicides. They weld to me like plums. Old cave of calcium Icicles, old echoer. Even the newts are white, Those holy Joes. And the fish, the fish ---- Christ! they are panes of ice, A vice of knives, A piranha Religion, drinking Its first communion out of my live toes. The candle Gulps and recovers its small altitude, Its yellows hearten. O love, how did you get here? O embryo Remembering, even in sleep, Your crossed position. The blood blooms clean In you, ruby. The pain You wake to is not yours. Love, love, I have hung our cave with roses, With soft rugs ---- The last of Victoriana. Let the stars Plummet to their dark address, Let the mercuric Atoms that cripple drip Into the terrible well, You are the one Solid the spaces lean on, envious. You are the baby in the barn.””

Sylvia Plath

About This Quote

Source Poem: Untitled (posthumously published), 1963

A surreal, vivid description of a miner’s subterranean world, blending physical decay with emotional longing and existential reflection.

In simple terms: A miner describes a dark, strange cave and his feelings of love and pain.

Key Takeaway

Embrace darkness to discover hidden beauty.

Themes

surrealism death love nature existentialism

Mood

melancholic introspective poetic

Type

poetic literary surrealist

When to use this quote

  • mining
  • creative writing
  • psychological introspection
  • artistic inspiration

Key Concepts

symbolism metaphor personification

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does the cave symbolize for you?
  • How does love persist in darkness?
A Different Perspective

The imagery may obscure practical meaning for some readers.

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