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16105 : Introduction to Poetry

The Piano
By
D.H.Lawrence

16105:Introduction to Poetry 21.02.2023

D.H. Lawrence

• David Herbert Lawrence was born in 1885

and died in 1930.
• He was an English poet, novelist,
playwright, literary critic, and essayist.
• Most importantly, he focuses on the
dehumanizing effects of modern times and
the process of industrialization.
• During his lifetime, Lawrence was censored
and persecuted due to his strong beliefs and
the misrepresentation of his works.
• He spent the last years in a voluntary exile.
He called it “savage pilgrimage,” which took
him to places such as Australia, Italy, United
States, Mexico, and France.
• When he died, despite Lawrence’s public reputation, E. M. Foster said that
he was “the greatest imaginative novelist novelist” of their time.
• D. H. Lawrence’s most notable works include novels such as
• Sons and Lovers,
• The Rainbow,
• Women in Love,
• Lady Chatterley’s Lover,
• John Thomas, and Lady Jane,
• and stories such as Odour of Chrysanthemums, The Virgin and the Gypsy,
and The Rocking-Horse Winner.
• ‘Piano’ by D.H. Lawrence is a beautiful, short poem in which the
poet’s speaker considers memories of childhood and music.
Piano
Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me; A
Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see A
A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings B
And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she sings.B

In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song C

Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong C
To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside D
And hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide. D

So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour E

With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour E
Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast F
Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past. F

David Herbert Lawrence

• Lyric Poem Definition
• A lyric poem or lyrical poem in literature is a poem in which the poet
either expresses his feelings and emotions. The poet also presents a
character in the first person to express his emotions.
• It is a combination of lyric and poetry where a piece of poetry is
written as a lyric.
• Lyric has been derived from lyre, a musical stringed instrument used
during the Grecian period to accompany the poetry sung during
different festivities.
• In the first lines of ‘Piano,’ the speaker begins by looking back into the
past and seeing a woman singing to him.
• He’s a child, sitting “under the piano” and enjoying the music.
• It’s a beautiful memory, one that is free of any worry or concern.
• He remembers these moments so clearly, it pains him, making him
want to weep “to belong / To the old Sunday evenings at home.”
• After being moved so powerful by these memories, he feels as though
he’s more child than man. His “manhood is cast / Down,” and he
weeps “like a child / for the past.”
Structure and Form

• ‘Piano’ by D.H. Lawrence is a lyric poem.

• It is written in three quatrains, and it has an AABBCCDDEEFF rhyme
scheme.
• The piano has a constant pace with a particular rhythm, just like a song,
representing the title of the poem.
• Moreover, the tone of the lyrical voice is melancholic and sentimental.
• As already mentioned, the central theme in Piano is memory and its
relationship with childhood and adulthood.
• The lyrical voice experiments a conflict between present experiences and
past memories.
Literary Devices

• Lawrence makes use of several literary devices in ‘Piano.’ They include but
are not limited to:

• Enjambment: when the poet cuts off a line before its natural stopping
point. For example, the transition between lines one, two, and three of the
second stanza.
• Caesura: occurs when the poet uses a pause in the middle of a line, either
through the use of punctuation or meter. For example,
“With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour” in the final stanza.
• Alliteration: occurs when the poet uses the same consonant sounds at the
beginning of words. For example, “poised” and “pressing” in stanza one
and “parlour” and “piano” at the end of stanza two.
• Piano Analysis
• First Stanza
Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;
Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see
A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings
And pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who smiles as she
sings.
• In the first stanza, a woman sings to the lyrical voice. The poem begins by
setting the scene: “Softly, in the dusk.” A woman sings to the lyrical voice
and takes him/her back in time (“a woman is singing to me;/ Taking me
back down the vista of years”). From the beginning, Piano creates a very
nostalgic mood. There are two settings in the poem: the scene where the
woman sings while the sun goes down in the distance and the
remembrance of the lyrical voice.

• The first two lines of the stanza will depict this first scene, the presence of
the lyrical voice, and the second two lines will portray his/her memory and
past. The memory starts when the lyrical voice says that he/she sees a child
under a piano (“till I see/A child sitting under the piano”).
• This child is surrounded by music (“in the boom of the tingling
strings”) and is “pressing the small, poised feet of a mother who
smiles as she sings.” This remembrance feels intimate and homely
while creating an atmosphere of childlike innocence and peace. “the
tingling strings” is an onomatopoeia that portrays the sounds of the
piano and creates a literary effect. Furthermore, the lyrical voice says
that the song of the woman takes him/her back to the “vista of
years,” serving as a metaphor for his/her childhood memories.
In spite of myself, the insidious mastery of song
Betrays me back, till the heart of me weeps to belong
To the old Sunday evenings at home, with winter outside
And hymns in the cosy parlour, the tinkling piano our guide.
• In the second stanza, the lyrical voice is aware of his/her
remembrance. The power of the song (“the insidious mastery of
song”) seems to be stronger as the lyrical voice says, “In spite of
myself”; the lyrical voice knows that he/she is nostalgic and
melancholic and he/she does not give easily to emotion. Once again,
the lyrical voice is drawn to his/her memories without wanting it.
Emotion and memories are more powerful, and the lyrical voice is,
again, surrounded by a childhood remembrance. “Betrays me back,
till the heart of me weeps to belong” is powerful imagery to portray
the lyrical voice’s wish to live his/her childhood memories again. The
heart is personified and given the human capacity of crying.
• Like in the previous stanza, the first two lines talk about the lyrical voice’s present
situation, and the following two describe the remembrance that he/she is having
at the moment. The lyrical voice sets the scene for this memory, as he/she states:
“To the old evening at home with winter outside.”

• The house and the lyrical voice are, again, surrounded by music in this
comfortable and secure home (“And hymns in the cosy parlour”). Moreover, the
piano acquires a central place in the remembrance, as the lyrical voice mentions
it as “our guide.” As in the previous stanza, the figure of the piano is introduced
with onomatopoeic descriptions that enable a more vivid image (“the tinkling
piano”).

•
• Third Stanza
• So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour

• With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour

• Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast

• Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past.
• In the third stanza, the lyrical voice’s thoughts about the song of the
woman change. The lyrical voice suggests that at that precise
moment (“So now”), the song has lost its happiness and its meaning
(“It is vain for the singer to burst into clamour/With the great piano
appassionato”). The lyrical voice meditates on what he/she feels
about the memories that he/she experimented with (“The
glamour/Of childish days is upon me”), and how he/she is no longer
living those good times that were represented in his/her childhood.
The remembrance ends, and the “manhood” is lost, as the lyrical
voice gives in to emotion (“I weep like a child for the past”).
• In the last line, there is a simile (“I weep like a child”) in order to
emphasize the act of crying and how this memory affected the lyrical
voice. There is a central longing for the past, for the childhood
memories, throughout the poem that grows with every line and
culminates with this final statement.

•
• Similar Poetry
• Readers who enjoyed ‘Piano’ should also consider reading some other D.H.
Lawrence poems. For example:

• ‘A Winter’s Tale‘ – tells a tale of two parting lovers who meet in the woods
on a dark and misty winter day.
• ‘Beautiful Old Age‘ – is a poem in which Lawrence imagines a world in
which old age is truly revered and hoped for and describes what that world
would feel like.
• ‘Bei Hennef‘ – describes the effect twilight has to clear a speaker’s mind. It
makes him see the strength of his love.
Sources:
Music: Precious Memories by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.com
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Abella, J., (2017, October 27). Piano by D.H. Lawrence. <em>Poem Analysis</em>. Retrieved from <a href="https://poemanalysis.com/d-h-
lawrence/piano/"> https://poemanalysis.com/d-h-lawrence/piano/</a>

https://literarydevices.net/lyric-poem/