He'd be more
than one page in your journal
this man, Yorkshire-born,
anthropology at Pembroke,
the one who wrote
about a fox and a song.
Piano music in the room,
British-bohemia.
You, enthralled,
wonderfully drunk
among turtle-necked boys,
friends of his
and then him,
the unscratchable diamond
you wanted bad.
'Then the worst happened.'
Earrings like tears in his palm,
two accents mixing,
new paints in a ***
Before long
he'd be chucking
clods at your window
though you wouldn't be home.
But his name would spray
from your mouth for good.
Feb 24, 2014
Feb 24, 2014 at 4:15 PM UTC
He'd be more
than one page in your journal
this man, Yorkshire-born,
anthropology at Pembroke,
the one who wrote
about a fox and a song.
Piano music in the room,
British-bohemia.
You, enthralled,
wonderfully drunk
among turtle-necked boys,
friends of his
and then him,
the unscratchable diamond
you wanted bad.
'Then the worst happened.'
Earrings like tears in his palm,
two accents mixing,
new paints in a ***
Before long
he'd be chucking
clods at your window
though you wouldn't be home.
But his name would spray
from your mouth for good.
Written: February 2014.
Explanation: A poem (work in progress) that is likely to be part of my third-year university dissertation regarding Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath, and the follow-up to previous poem ‘Her’ (please read.)
On Saturday 25th February 1956, Hughes and Plath met at a party celebrating the launch of Saint Botolph's Review, a literary magazine that Hughes contributed to. This meeting occurred at Falcon Yard, an inn that was located very close to Petty Cury in Cambridge, England.
Ted Hughes studied at Pembroke College, switching from English to Archaeology and Anthropology in his third year. The poems referenced are ‘The Thought-Fox’ and ‘Song’ from his debut collection.
In her journals, Plath mentions how there was piano music and boys in turtle-neck sweaters - she also says that she became ‘very very beautifully drunk.’
‘Unscratchable diamond’ comes from Hughes’s poem ‘The Casualty’ and was quoted by Plath to Hughes that night. According to Plath, Hughes removed her earrings and said he’d keep them.
As described briefly in his poem ‘Visit’, one evening Hughes threw soil-clods at (what he believed) was Plath’s window, accompanied by his friend Lucas.
Feedback is most welcome.
Request permission to use this poem