The Letters of Sylvia Plath Volume 1 Read online

  ALS with envelope,

  Indiana University

  July 22, 1946

  Dear Mother,

  Oh! I’m so happy. I am all done with my crafts projects! Now I won’t have to go any more.

  In swimming the only things I have to pass to be a bluecap are my standing front dive and my crawl. “Skees” taught me how to “fall in” yesterday morning, and in the afternoon Rikki taught me how to spring off the dock. My legs still bend a little, but I’m very glad that I am learning how to dive. That was the one cloud on my horizon, even though I was not conscious of it. I have done my twelve lengths of sidestroke, and yesterday afternoon I took my “tippy test.” I paddled a canoe out on the lake, stowed the paddle, stood up on the gunners and tipped the canoe over on top of me. I then righted it, and jumped in. It was full of water, and I had to paddle back to shore with my hands.

  By the way, my oldest middy is ruined. I wore it down to the beach over my bathing suit and left it down there by mistake. It must have been long ago, because it was full of bugs, worms, cocoons and slime. It is so far gone that I never could wear it, so I’ll not bother bringing it home.

  We have had two cracker jacks of thunderstorms and alot of wind and rain. Today was a wonderful day for washing – sunny, and oh! what a marvelous wind!

  I am going home with the Powleys. They are coming at about 3:00-4:00. I am having a perfectly beautiful time. In our scouts own we (Gloria, Betsy, and I) sang “Nearer my God to Thee.”*

  Ruthie and I had a perfectly wonderful time dividing up the fruit. We have been practically living on a fresh fruit diet. Saturday one pound of cherries. Sunday. One pound of cherries two and a half plums* (a piece) Monday – two plums, four peaches, eight crackers.

  Last night when it was raining, Betsy and Ruth went around the units waking up people in the cabins. The councilors were at a party saying farewell to Skees, so while Gayle and I slept soundly in our Beds, Ruth and Betsy slept together in Betsy’s bed. I kept my screen door locked so that they wouldn’t come in and wake me up after I got to sleep. One of the councilors asked me to draw some ideas for the cover of the paper, so I did. I can’t wait to go swimming again this afternoon so that I can dive again. Do not be worried if you do not get a letter from me for quite a short while because I am next going to write a nice long letter to Margot. We are not going to have an overnight hike, but I do hope we will go to fisherman’s Cove some time. Have you been getting much mail from me? I have been writing every day.

  I hope you are having nice weather in Wellesley. Is the grass beyond recovery, or can it be watered and brought back to its beautiful soft green stage. I will be glad to get back to our own white house in Wellesley. Do have Ruthie over soon so I can go back to her house to visit. The food we get now is about the best a camp could get, only I miss the fresh vegetables.

  Love,

  “Siv”

  TO Aurelia Schober Plath

  Thursday 25 July 1946

  ALS with envelope,

  Indiana University

  July 25, 1946

  Dear Mother,

  I have been overwhelmingly busy the past few days. On Wednesday we at last took the long awaited hike to Fishermans Cove. Only nine of us went, and Rikki made the tenth. We hiked the five miles without even noticing it. The sun had come out and it had become a glorious day, the first for almost a week. When we arrived we sat down on the familiar white sand and had our nosebag lunches, and then made our barefoot way tediously over the barnacled rocks, until we at last reached the sandy golden strip where the low tide was. We fell all over ourselves in the icy, exhilarating salt waves. How I love the ocean! We then hunted for sea creatures in the shallow, warm pools between the rocks. I got quite a tan, and so did Ruthie. Betsy didn’t come, because she doesn’t especially like hikes like I do. Bunny called for us in the truck, and we rode back, singing gaily. I had a perfect time, and everything was so much nicer than last year.

  Quiz

  Do you know that:

  I was chosen to make the cover of the camp newspaper?

  I was elected unanamously to write a report about Cove* and read it at the banquet last night?

 

  Last night I was at the first banquet that I had ever experienced. Formal too. The tables were arranged in a U. Skipper sat at the head table, and so did the five girls who were going to make unit or news reports. I had a placecard and everything. I was so excited that I was going to make a “speech”. The first one too. Everything worked out perfectly. After everybody had scraped up the last of the yummy ice cream dessert, I was announced. I stood up and began to read of my rather long report. Slowly and clearly. I was never so happy. Everyone laughed at the right places, and I got loads of praise and applause. Evidently everyone thought that It was the best report given, or so they all told me. The other ones didn’t have so much expression – (as I have learned so well from you and Mrs. Warren*) that is very necessary to give a speech the interesting quality.

  I had a perfect night. Did you also know that I am a blue cap. I passed up from the white, and will now be classified as an intermediate swimmer. The caps go like this:

  Advanced (only a few)

  Blue

  White

  Red

  I am now a blue! Three cheers. I enjoyed three safety movies that were given the evening of our hike to fisherman’s cove. They were excellent. The first was about floods, and how one fire can cause a terrible loss of life, and awful floods. The second was an MGM film about Our Gang.* It was really cute. I learned alot about traffic rules, even though the picture was rather youngish. The third was a darling one in Technicolor. – titled “Once Upon a Time.”* It worked in Pandora’s box, with Cinderella, simple Simon, the Giant, Georgie Porgie, and a few others. It told about how the two bad ghosts* flew out of the box and induced the drivers of various cars to speed. The accidents that were caused, and how they were remedied makes a sweet little story. I am having a perfectly beautiful time with Ruthie. She is such a wonderful, staunch friend. We both think the same way about so many things. I hope that this gets to you before you leave tomorrow for coming here.

  Love,

  Sylvia

  TO Margot Loungway Drekmeier

  Mon.–Fri. 29 July–2 Aug. 1946*

  ALS with envelope,

  Estate of Margot Drekmeier

  July 29, 1946

  Dear Margot,

  I am very sorry that I have not written for such a long time. Surprisingly enough, at camp I was terribly busy making up contributions for the camp newspaper. I made the cover of it, and sent in two poems which were published.

  We had a super banquet which brought a thrill-packed month to a close. The tables were arranged in a U , and I sat with the head of the camp, and a few others, at the head table. After a wonderful meal of roast beef, corn on the cob, fluffy mounds of mashed potatoes (with gravy and butter) apple salad, grapefruit, and icecream, I was asked to read the report of my units’ activities, which I had written before hand. It was evidently quite a hit. Everyone laughed in just the right places, and I received loads of applause. I was very excited, for it was my first real banquet, and It was quite an honor to be seated at the head table. I had a perfectly beautiful time, and enjoyed every minute of it.

  Camp is really beautiful. The first impression that you get is of the deep green pines against the clear blue sky, and the puffy white of the clouds floating lazily by. The lake water is always changing. It is more or less translucent and the white sand beneath its depths gives a rather odd color effect. Sometimes it is mirrored and blue, and on other times a wild emerald green, with tossing sprays of foam and rough white caps. I had a beautiful time swimming. I learned how to dive for the first time in my life, and had such fun doing it. I advanced to the blue cap group, which is just below the highest, or advanced swimmer. In other words, a junior lifesaver. I enjoyed rowing so much, that I had perfected my different turns
and strokes, before I took my tippy test, which enabled me to go out in a canoe. We took two trips by boat across the lake, and one was made especially exciting by the fact that one girl broke her oar. Our counselor had to row in and then row out again in another boat with an extra oar. She just got to the crippled boat before it began to be blown out into the lake. It was really quite exciting, considering that I was in the counselors boat.

  We went on a “five” mile hike around the lake with ten girls and our favorite counselors. However, we got off the right road, and walked for miles along a sand road, flanked by seemingly endless pine hills. No sign of life save that of a deer bounding gracefully off into the woods. After long last we came out on a paved road, and hiked the remaining miles back to Storrow. All in all, the hike took over eight weary miles. However, Rikki, the counselor, made almost every minute of it enjoyable.

  We also hiked with nine girls and Rikki, the five miles to Fisherman’s Cove. I have never seen such a glorious place. The sand stretched a golden arm out into the green waters of the ocean. A steep sandcliff curved protectingly around the beach. As the tide was out, we walked way out to the water’s edge, and after getting thoroughly soaked in its icy waves, we dabbled around in the warm, sandy, rock pools, and found all types of sea creatures. I had a beautiful time, and came back with a nice brown tan. I really had a very exciting time at camp. I made loads of friends, and renewed acquaintances with my old ones.

  However, it is good to be home once again in my own cosy little “matchbox.” I really love my house – it has such a charming personality.

  Mother is starting me on typing lessons now. I have begun my third, and she says that I am progressing admirably. I do have some hope that by next summer I will be able to type stories once more. My “Stardust” has come to a standstill for the time-being as I have had a great deal to do, what with typing and helping with the housework. I am doing a great deal more of this. Oddly enough, I rather enjoy it. Especially the canning part – as I am new to this, it still holds quite a novelty for me. Getting back to my story – I have only done about ten pages. As yet, the first chapter needs some revision, which the second chapter is complete to the last detail. I do think that it came out very well – better than any of my last ones.

  To my great amazement, mother took me in town yesterday, and let me buy my first set of oil paints (out of my own money, of course.) She supplied me with four canvases of different sizes. So far I have made two rather amateurish paintings. Alot of things came out wrong, but I had fun in doing them that I never have had in anything else. One was a still life of some zinnias in a blue bowl and another larger one of three birch trees with some icecream cone mountains in the background .

  Oh, by the way, how is your diary coming along? Sometimes mine is rather tiresome, but on the whole I really enjoy it. This letter has been in the making for so many days that the dates are most likely all slightly mixed.*

  Speaking of stamp offers, I have been having a great deal of trouble with the Gray Stamp Company, Toronto Canada. I told them to please stop sending approvals, because when I sent for their offer, approvals were not mentioned. I expressed my refusal sweetly and appreciatively, but when I got them the next time, I grew a good deal firmer in my statements. However, when I received them for the third time, I sent them back unopened, saying that I would not be responsible the next time I received approvals from them. I think that is only fair, because I have to waste four cents postage on them every time I send back an offer. If they do persist in sending approvals again, I will not return them, as I said to them the last time. Are all of your approvals that you do not want, effectively stopped at last? I do hope they are, for I now realize how annoying these stubborn stamp companies can be. I can just imagine how harried you must have been with a whole flock of them sweetly persisting on sending you offers.

 

  When do you start school? I believe we go back to the old antique shop on September the third. Next year it will probably begin in the middle of August.

  I enjoyed reading the letter which you pointedly sent to just about everything in the house except me. It was quite thrilling. I especially enjoyed the one message that you wrote to the eighty-first key on the piano.

  I do love wearing that darling dress I got from you last summer. It is my favorite – the flowered one with the rickrack on it I mean. By the way, did you receive the offer I sent you with my long epistle from camp. I believe that it was the one 20 beautiful, extraordinary stamps for only fifteen cents?

  My mother is now dramatically plowing through the “Tale of Two Cities” – reading aloud to my brother – who sits wide-eyed in bed, gnawing anxiously on the sheet waiting for her to go on. Even through the wall which separates his bedroom from the livingroom I can hear my mother droning nasally through her teeth in what she imagines is the sinister manner of the Marquee, or whoever she happens to be reading about. The periodic shakings of the floor are when my brother gets so excited that he cannot control his feelings, and so bounces all over the bed. It really is an interesting bit of emotional reactions. I know you’re not supposed to pardon anything in a letter, but please forgive any too queer mistakes I’ve made in composition as its late, and mother’s too absorbed in her reading to notice the time.

  from her mother’s daughter

  From her mother’s daughter –

  Sylvia Artemis Platowsky

  “Drive him fast to his tomb”---frill of paper – stone face – too many

  TO Margot Loungway Drekmeier

  Tues.–Wed. 27–28 August*

  1946 ALS with envelope,

  Estate of Margot Drekmeier

  August 29

 

  Dear Margot,

  Can’t you take a hint? – a very broad one? First I wrote you a long eight page letter. Then after waiting for a whole pile of weeks (almost three) I sent you a business letter. All I got in reply was an uninformative typewritten letter in return for my painstaking efforts.

  I do hope my stamp offers do not give you too much trouble when you try to get rid of them.

  Here is the Harris envelope dressed up as a rainbow offer. Will it pass? Enclosed are some other things. Approvals or something for you to sell. (If you can.) I’m sort of hazy about it, as it’s almost ten-thirty. You see, mother would be shocked if I was not soundly snoring at nine o’clock, and she would have fits of worry. She is now having a gay time with Warren visiting in Connecticut. She has left Grammy home with me (I have a bad sore throat) and she (Grammy, I mean) is now in the next town taking care of my Aunt Dot’s two year old boy. It is sort of lonely here alone (strangely enough) and queer footsteps keep stealthily hopping around. Unluckily I have three windows and four doors to keep my eyes on.

  I am now listening to Sousa’s inspiring “Stars and Stripes Forever”* march over the radio. I have listened (in succession) to scatterbrained Judy on “Date with Judy”,* “The Marquis,”* an excellent radio theatre. (Now Sigmund Romberg* (how do you spell it?) is playing the lilting, immortal blue Danube.*) How I love it!

  I heard just about the best program I’ve ever heard over WEEI at 10:00, I believe. It was titled “Disputed Passage.”* It was the moving story of two doctors, one old – one young – only a delightful speck of romance to give it more human flavor. I guess its hard to live without if you want to be a success. (Or so they say)

  Now they are playing my favorite song in the popular world “Wanting You”* – You know:

  “Wanting you, wanting you

  Noone else in this world will do!” I love the tune. The singers aren’t that washday blues kind, but a real woman’s clear soprano and a man’s lovely harmony.

  Now Romberg (that’s near enough the spellin
g.) is playing a delightful composition by his son Donald* – “Sunset in Seville.” It’s the first time played on the air, and it is truly lovely, and characteristic to the title.

  Now they end it then: sotto voce “Science truth positive Raleigh* – the only leading cigarette that gives you less nicotine etc. – etc.” What a let down!

  But he builds it up again with the powerful, manly song from “Strong Men”* which is blended with the lovely soprano singing “We Have Been Young”* – When I grow too old to dream, I’ll remember you.”

  Just as they are beginning “Sweethearts,”* I (Here we go) hear the pleasant crunching of Grammy’s car wheels on the Gravel driveway. I better hurry up with this letter before she comes upstairs with a bedtime snack for me (snack, not shake!)

  Goodnight for now!

 

  Now it is moring once again. I have just woken up. It is rather late, after eleven o’clock. So you see I slept around the clock, you may find this “letter” a bit hard to read, but I sincerely hope not. Have you found a good brick-laying job yet. I’ve thought and thought but I can’t find one. (a job, not a thought.) There is a little man digging in my throat with a pitchfork, boy! he must be trying to get to China and promote friendly foreign relations!

  The most fun in writing a letter to you is ending it. So I am hurrying to get to that pleasant point. This letter is sort of warped because I spilled a jug of water on it will you help me keep track of my offers that I send you by noting names and prices, and sending them to me? The P.S. especially pertains to you. I knew that you would take this to heart (if you have such an odd thing)

  See if you can decipher this.

  As always

  From your own:

  TOOTHPICK BEAN

  With love

  P.S. Remember! Crime doesn’t pay* (well enough)

 

  From 26 Elmwood Boulevard