I have died before,
and still I stand again.
Ash on my skin,
fire in my breath.
They watched me fall,
counting my broken bones,
waiting for silence.
But silence never kept me,
the grave could not hold me,
I returned with open eyes.
Lady Lazarus rises slowly,
from dust and dark corners,
from whispers of death.
Each fall was not the end,
only a cruel rehearsal,
for a stronger return.
I learned that dying is an art,
and survival is sharper still,
cutting through shame.
Lady Lazarus speaks in flames,
her scars glowing like truth,
her heart beating louder than fear.
The crowd stares and murmurs,
yet she stands unashamed,
a miracle in human skin.
Out of ash she rises again,
Lady Lazarus reborn in red,
breathing power like air.
“Lady Lazarus” Summary
In Lady Lazarus, Sylvia Plath presents a speaker who survives repeated suicide attempts and treats death like an art. She describes her suffering as a public spectacle, using dark and shocking imagery. In the end, she rises from the ashes stronger and more powerful than before.
