"Piano" by D. H. Lawrence

 

"Piano"

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 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.

 

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.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/wHvXLzElVhE

Who wrote the poem "Piano"?

David Herbert Lawrence (September 11, 1885 – March 2, 1930)

D. H. Lawrence was an English novelist, poet, essayist, and playwright. His works dealt with modernity, industrialization, sexuality, and instinct. His novels Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, and Lady Chatterley’s Lover concerned such controversial topics as gay and lesbian relationships. Although, due to his peculiar artistic style, he had to experience persecution and often was disgraced as a mere pornographer, some critics praise him for his artistic talents, integrity, and moral seriousness.

"Piano"  explanation

The poem is a nostalgic and melancholic expression of the speaker's memories of childhood and the longing for the simpler, happier times of the past. The speaker hears a distant piano playing and is sent back to his childhood, where he listens to the sounds of his mother singing and playing the piano. The music is a symbol of warmth and comfort, and the speaker feels a sense of sadness and loss as he realizes that he can never return to those childhood moments. The poem is often considered one of D. H. Lawrence's best-known works and has been set to music by several composers and has been performed in musical settings. The speaker's memories in the poem seem autobiographical, as D. H. Lawrence's own mother was a pianist and singer.