'The Fury Of Beautiful Bones' by Anne Sexton


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The Death Notebooks1974Sing me a thrush, bone.Sing me a nest of cup and pestle.Sing me a sweetbread fr an old grandfather.Sing me a foot and a doorknob, for you are my love.Oh sing, bone bag man, sing.Your head is what I remember that Augustyyou were in love with another woman buttaht didn't matter. I was the gury of yourbones, your fingers long and nubby, yourforehead a beacon, bare as marble and I worriedyou like an odor because you had not quite forgotten,bone bag man, garlic in the North End,the book you dedicated, naked as a fish,naked as someone drowning into his own mouth.I wonder, Mr. Bone man, what you're thinkingof your fury now, gone sour as a sinking whale,crawling up the alphabet on her own bones.Am I in your ear still singing songs in the rain,me of the death rattle, me of the magnolias,me of the sawdust tavern at the city's edge.Women have lovely bones, arms, neck, thighand I admire them also, but your bonessupersede loveliness. They are the toughones that get broken and reset. I just can'tanswer for you, only for your bones,round rulers, round nudgers, round poles,numb nubkins, the sword of sugar.I feel the skull, Mr. Skeleton, living itsown life in its own skin.

Editor 1 Interpretation

The Fury Of Beautiful Bones: A Haunting and Powerful Exploration of Death and Beauty

As I sit down to write about Anne Sexton's haunting and powerful poem, "The Fury Of Beautiful Bones," I am struck by the way it touches on some of the most fundamental human experiences: love, sex, death, and beauty. Sexton's poem is a deep and layered exploration of these themes, and it has captivated readers since its first publication in the 1960s.

At its core, "The Fury Of Beautiful Bones" is a meditation on the relationship between life and death. Through a series of vivid and evocative images, Sexton invites the reader to confront the reality of mortality and the fragility of the human body. She does this by juxtaposing images of beauty and decay, life and death, in a way that is both startling and beautiful.

The poem begins with a description of a beautiful woman, her "bones shining like jewels," and her hair "a dark forest." This opening image is both sensual and eerie, inviting the reader into a world of dark beauty and sensual pleasures. But even in this opening stanza, there is a hint of darkness lurking beneath the surface, as the woman's beauty is described as "fierce."

As the poem progresses, Sexton delves deeper into the theme of death and decay. She describes the woman's body as a "cage" and a "bier," an image that is both beautiful and frightening. The woman's body is both a source of pleasure and a reminder of mortality, a vessel that carries both life and death within it.

But Sexton does not stop there. She goes on to explore the relationship between sex and death, describing the act of love as a kind of "conspiracy" between the living and the dead. This image is both disturbing and intriguing, inviting the reader to ponder the strange and complex nature of human desire.

Throughout the poem, Sexton uses language that is both visceral and poetic. She describes the woman's body in vivid and evocative terms, using images of blood, bones, and flesh to create a sense of both beauty and decay. Her use of language is both powerful and haunting, inviting the reader into a world of dark beauty and sensual pleasures.

In many ways, "The Fury Of Beautiful Bones" is a meditation on the nature of beauty itself. Sexton suggests that beauty is not just a source of pleasure, but also a reminder of our own mortality. Through her exploration of the relationship between life and death, she invites the reader to confront their own mortality and to ponder the meaning of beauty in a world where everything is fleeting and temporary.

In conclusion, "The Fury Of Beautiful Bones" is a haunting and powerful poem that explores some of the most fundamental human experiences: love, sex, death, and beauty. Through her use of vivid and evocative language, Anne Sexton invites the reader to confront the reality of mortality and to ponder the strange and complex nature of human desire. I would highly recommend this poem to anyone interested in exploring the darker sides of human experience, and in delving deeper into the mysteries of life and death.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

The Fury of Beautiful Bones: A Masterpiece of Anne Sexton

Anne Sexton, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, is known for her confessional poetry that explores the complexities of human emotions and experiences. Her poem, The Fury of Beautiful Bones, is a haunting and powerful work that delves into the themes of death, beauty, and the human condition. In this analysis, we will explore the meaning and significance of this masterpiece of poetry.

The poem begins with a vivid description of a corpse, lying in a coffin, surrounded by flowers. The speaker, who is presumably the poet herself, observes the beauty of the dead body, describing it as "a beautiful woman, / and therefore more beautiful than a man." The use of the word "therefore" suggests that the speaker believes that women are inherently more beautiful than men, which is a common theme in Sexton's work.

The speaker then goes on to describe the "fury" of the beautiful bones, which seems to be a metaphor for the intensity of life and the inevitability of death. The bones are described as "white as winter moonlight," which creates a stark contrast with the colorful flowers that surround them. This contrast emphasizes the idea that death is a stark and inevitable reality that cannot be avoided.

The poem then takes a turn, as the speaker begins to address the dead woman directly, asking her questions about her life and her death. The speaker asks, "Did you ever love? / Do you know how it feels to be loved?" These questions suggest that the speaker is reflecting on her own experiences with love and loss, and is using the dead woman as a symbol for all of the people she has loved and lost in her life.

The poem then becomes more introspective, as the speaker reflects on her own mortality. She says, "I too have beautiful bones, / but I am not beautiful." This line suggests that the speaker is struggling with her own self-image, and feels that her beauty is not as important as the beauty of her bones, which will eventually be all that is left of her.

The poem then takes a darker turn, as the speaker begins to contemplate suicide. She says, "I have thought of suicide / but I am afraid of my own death." This line suggests that the speaker is struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, but is ultimately afraid of the finality of death.

The poem ends with a powerful and haunting image of the dead woman's bones, which are described as "the fury of a bomb / that explodes in the moonlight." This image suggests that the intensity of life and the inevitability of death are like a bomb that will eventually explode, leaving only bones behind.

Overall, The Fury of Beautiful Bones is a powerful and haunting work of poetry that explores the themes of death, beauty, and the human condition. Through vivid imagery and introspective reflection, Anne Sexton creates a work that is both beautiful and unsettling, leaving the reader with a sense of the fragility and intensity of life.

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