Sheep In Fog

“Sheep in Fog” is a poem of 15 lines without even meter, or beats, per line. The poem is arranged in five stanzas of tercets, or lines of three. The stanzas are organized by pairing an image and a feeling. The first explains the foggy landscape, and how Plath feels she’s disappointed people. The second describes the “train” (Line 4) and the “slow” (Line 5) treading of the “Horse” (Line 5), emphasizing feelings of isolation. The third notes the repetitive sound of the “hooves” (Line 7) and the emotional “blackening” (Line 9) of the day. The fourth stanza details the decaying “flower” (Line 10) and the “stillness” (Line 11) inside Plath. As the poem progresses, there is a speeding up of connections between stanzas as the unseen “far / fields” (Lines 11-12) of Stanza 4 are linked to the “threat” (Line 13) they hide in Stanza 5. That final stanza also leads to a discussion of what the “fields” (Line 12) do really hold: a “heaven” (Line 14) or a hellish “dark water” (Line 15)? Plath unifies the first and fifth stanzas by remarking on the presence or absence of stars. She also creates circularity with the