I'd never noticed the syllabic pattern in that one - which, I note, she breaks in the penultimate line . . . which ends on the words "well-done sum." Ha!
Thanks for pointing this out, Janet. I've heard it said, and I agree, that syllabics tend to work best when the count is odd-numbered; otherwise, they fall too easily into iambs, in which case, what's the point of writing syllabics? I think it's interesting that Plath has used a gently undulating arrangement here. I'm not sure it lends all that much to the poem (except in the "well-done sum" line, which is my new favorite thing) but I'd be surprised if it didn't help her pare her lines down.
Though who really knows?
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