'Some Foreign Letters' by Anne Sexton

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I knew you forever and you were always old,

soft white lady of my heart. Surely you would scold

me for sitting up late, reading your letters,

as if these foreign postmarks were meant for me.

You posted them first in London, wearing furs

and a new dress in the winter of eighteen-ninety.

I read how London is dull on Lord Mayor's Day,

where you guided past groups of robbers, the sad holes

of Whitechapel, clutching your pocketbook, on the way

to Jack the Ripper dissecting his famous bones.

This Wednesday in Berlin, you say, you will

go to a bazaar at Bismarck's house. And I

see you as a young girl in a good world still,

writing three generations before mine. I try

to reach into your page and breathe it back...

but life is a trick, life is a kitten in a sack.

This is the sack of time your death vacates.

How distant your are on your nickel-plated skates

in the skating park in Berlin, gliding past

me with your Count, while a military band

plays a Strauss waltz. I loved you last,

a pleated old lady with a crooked hand.

Once you read Lohengrin and every goose

hung high while you practiced castle life

in Hanover. Tonight your letters reduce

history to a guess. The count had a wife.

You were the old maid aunt who lived with us.

Tonight I read how the winter howled around

the towers of Schloss Schwobber, how the tedious

language grew in your jaw, how you loved the sound

of the music of the rats tapping on the stone

floors. When you were mine you wore an earphone.

This is Wednesday, May 9th, near Lucerne,

Switzerland, sixty-nine years ago. I learn

your first climb up Mount San Salvatore;

this is the rocky path, the hole in your shoes,

the yankee girl, the iron interior

of her sweet body. You let the Count choose

your next climb. You went together, armed

with alpine stocks, with ham sandwiches

and seltzer wasser. You were not alarmed

by the thick woods of briars and bushes,

nor the rugged cliff, nor the first vertigo

up over Lake Lucerne. The Count sweated

with his coat off as you waded through top snow.

He held your hand and kissed you. You rattled

down on the train to catch a steam boat for home;

or other postmarks: Paris, verona, Rome.

This is Italy. You learn its mother tongue.

I read how you walked on the Palatine among

the ruins of the palace of the Caesars;

alone in the Roman autumn, alone since July.

When you were mine they wrapped you out of here

with your best hat over your face. I cried

because I was seventeen. I am older now.

I read how your student ticket admitted you

into the private chapel of the Vatican and how

you cheered with the others, as we used to do

on the fourth of July. One Wednesday in November

you watched a balloon, painted like a silver abll,

float up over the Forum, up over the lost emperors,

to shiver its little modern cage in an occasional

breeze. You worked your New England conscience out

beside artisans, chestnut vendors and the devout.

Tonight I will learn to love you twice;

learn your first days, your mid-Victorian face.

Tonight I will speak up and interrupt

your letters, warning you that wars are coming,

that the Count will die, that you will accept

your America back to live like a prim thing

on the farm in Maine. I tell you, you will come

here, to the suburbs of Boston, to see the blue-nose

world go drunk each night, to see the handsome

children jitterbug, to feel your left ear close

one Friday at Symphony. And I tell you,

you will tip your boot feet out of that hall,

rocking from its sour sound, out onto

the crowded street, letting your spectacles fall

and your hair net tangle as you stop passers-by

to mumble your guilty love while your ears die.

Editor 1 Interpretation

Some Foreign Letters by Anne Sexton: A Deep Dive into the Mind of a Desperate Soul

Are you ready to dive into the depths of despair? To explore the mind of a woman on the brink of madness? Then buckle up, my dear reader, because Some Foreign Letters by Anne Sexton is one wild ride.

This classic poem, first published in 1966, is a haunting exploration of mental illness, identity, and the search for love and connection. With its vivid imagery, raw emotions, and experimental structure, Some Foreign Letters has become a touchstone of confessional poetry and a testament to Sexton's powerful voice.

In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will explore the themes, symbols, and language of Some Foreign Letters, and unpack the layers of meaning and emotion that make it such a powerful work of art.

The Themes of Some Foreign Letters: Madness, Identity, and Love

At its heart, Some Foreign Letters is a meditation on the human experience of madness. The speaker of the poem, who we can assume is Sexton herself, is grappling with her own sense of identity and the overwhelming feeling that she is losing her grip on reality.

Throughout the poem, we see the speaker struggling to make sense of her own thoughts and emotions, as she delves deeper and deeper into her own psyche. She is obsessed with the idea of language and communication, as she attempts to connect with others and make sense of her own inner turmoil.

This theme of identity is closely tied to the speaker's search for love and connection. She longs for someone to understand her and see her for who she truly is, but she is constantly thwarted by her own inner demons.

At times, the poem takes on a surreal quality, as the speaker's mind spirals into hallucinations and delusions. She is haunted by the ghost of a childhood friend and tortured by the memory of a failed relationship.

Through it all, however, Sexton manages to capture the raw, visceral nature of mental illness, and the struggle to maintain a sense of self in the face of overwhelming darkness.

The Symbols of Some Foreign Letters: Language, Letters, and Ghosts

One of the most striking aspects of Some Foreign Letters is Sexton's use of symbols and imagery to convey the speaker's inner world. Language, in particular, plays a central role in the poem, as the speaker grapples with the limitations of communication and the power of words to shape our perceptions of reality.

The poem is full of references to letters and writing, as the speaker seeks to bridge the gap between her own experience and the outside world. She writes letters to her former lover, to her friend's ghost, to herself, as she struggles to make sense of her own thoughts and emotions.

The use of ghosts and spirits is another powerful symbol in the poem, representing the speaker's own sense of loss and disconnection. The ghost of the childhood friend, in particular, serves as a haunting reminder of the speaker's own mortality and the fleeting nature of human connection.

The Language of Some Foreign Letters: Raw, Visceral, and Experimental

One of the most striking things about Some Foreign Letters is the raw, visceral quality of Sexton's language. She pulls no punches in describing the speaker's inner turmoil, using bold and often shocking imagery to convey the depth of her despair.

At times, the poem takes on a surreal quality, as the speaker's mind slips into hallucinations and delusions. Sexton's use of experimental language and structure serves to heighten the sense of disorientation and madness, as the poem becomes a journey into the depths of the speaker's psyche.

Despite the darkness of the subject matter, Sexton's language is also infused with a sense of beauty and lyricism, as she captures the fleeting moments of joy and connection that the speaker experiences in her search for love and identity.

Conclusion: Some Foreign Letters as a Testament to the Power of Confessional Poetry

So, what can we take away from this deep dive into Some Foreign Letters? At its core, Sexton's poem is a testament to the power of confessional poetry to capture the raw, messy, and often painful aspects of the human experience.

Through her use of language, imagery, and symbolism, Sexton creates a portrait of a woman on the brink of madness, struggling to make sense of her own identity and find connection in a world that seems determined to keep her isolated and alone.

In the end, Some Foreign Letters stands as a powerful work of art, a testament to Sexton's own incredible voice and the enduring power of confessional poetry to speak truth to power and capture the beauty and pain of the human experience.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Some Foreign Letters: A Poem of Love and Longing

Anne Sexton’s Some Foreign Letters is a classic poem that captures the essence of love and longing. The poem is a beautiful expression of the emotions that come with being in love and the pain of separation. It is a poem that speaks to the heart and soul of every person who has ever been in love.

The poem is written in free verse, with no rhyme or meter. This gives the poem a natural flow and rhythm that adds to its beauty. The poem is divided into three stanzas, each with its own theme and message.

The first stanza of the poem is a description of the letters that the speaker has received from her lover. The letters are described as “foreign” because they are written in a language that the speaker does not understand. The letters are a symbol of the distance between the speaker and her lover, both physical and emotional. The speaker longs to understand the words written in the letters, to know what her lover is thinking and feeling.

The second stanza of the poem is a reflection on the speaker’s feelings for her lover. She describes the intensity of her love, saying that it is “like a fever.” She longs to be with her lover, to feel his touch and hear his voice. She is consumed by her love for him, and it is the only thing that matters to her.

The third and final stanza of the poem is a plea to her lover to come back to her. The speaker begs him to return, saying that she cannot live without him. She describes the pain of separation, saying that it is like a “knife” in her heart. She longs for the day when they will be reunited, when they can be together again.

The poem is a beautiful expression of the emotions that come with being in love. It captures the intensity of the feelings that one experiences when they are in love, and the pain of separation that comes with it. The poem is a reminder that love is a powerful force that can overcome any obstacle, and that it is worth fighting for.

The use of imagery in the poem is particularly effective in conveying the emotions of the speaker. The letters are described as “foreign,” which creates a sense of distance and separation. The use of the word “fever” to describe the intensity of the speaker’s love is also effective, as it conveys the idea that love is a powerful force that can consume a person.

The repetition of the phrase “come back to me” in the final stanza of the poem is particularly powerful. It conveys the desperation of the speaker, and the depth of her longing for her lover. The use of the word “knife” to describe the pain of separation is also effective, as it creates a vivid image in the reader’s mind of the speaker’s emotional pain.

In conclusion, Some Foreign Letters is a classic poem that captures the essence of love and longing. It is a beautiful expression of the emotions that come with being in love, and the pain of separation that comes with it. The poem is a reminder that love is a powerful force that can overcome any obstacle, and that it is worth fighting for. The use of imagery and repetition in the poem is particularly effective in conveying the emotions of the speaker. Overall, Some Foreign Letters is a timeless poem that will continue to resonate with readers for generations to come.

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