The Cremona Violin: Part 01 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: ABABBCC DEDEEFF GHGHHGG GIGIIJJ GKGKKLM NONOOPP QRQRRSS TUTUUFF VWVXXYY KZKZZII A2B2A2C2B2D2D2 QB2QQQQ E2E2ZF2F2NN G2H2ZH2H2I2I2 J2QK2QQJ2J2 QL2QL2L2JJ M2UM2UN2O2O2 P2Q2P2Q2Q2QA2 GC2GC2GR2S2 T2U2JU2U2QQ C2V2C2V2V2W2X2 A2OA2OOOO GY2GY2Y2GG Z2Z2OOZ2OO QOQOOC2C2 Y2A2C2JJA3G2 B3C3B3C3C3B3B3 A2OI2OOC2C2 T2OT2QQOO A2D3A2D3D3OO OE3OE3E3OO

Frau Concert Meister Altgelt shut the doorA
A storm was rising heavy gusts of windB
Swirled through the trees and scattered leaves beforeA
Her on the clean flagged path The sky behindB
The distant town was black and sharp definedB
Against it shone the lines of roofs and towersC
Superimposed and flat like cardboard flowersC
-
A pasted city on a purple groundD
Picked out with luminous paint it seemed The cloudE
Split on an edge of lightning and a soundD
Of rivers full and rushing boomed through bowedE
Tossed hissing branches Thunder rumbled loudE
Beyond the town fast swallowing into gloomF
Frau Altgelt closed the windows of each roomF
-
She bustled round to shake by constant movingG
The strange weird atmosphere She stirred the fireH
She twitched the supper cloth as though improvingG
Its careful setting then her own attireH
Came in for notice tiptoeing higher and higherH
She peered into the wall glass now adjustingG
A straying lock or else a ribbon thrustingG
-
This way or that to suit her At last sittingG
Or rather plumping down upon a chairI
She took her work the stocking she was knittingG
And watched the rain upon the window glareI
In white bright drops Through the black glass a flareI
Of lightning squirmed about her needles OhJ
She cried What can be keeping Theodore soJ
-
A roll of thunder set the casements clappingG
Frau Altgelt flung her work aside and ranK
Pulled open the house door with kerchief flappingG
She stood and gazed along the street A manK
Flung back the garden gate and nearly ranK
Her down as she stood in the door Why DearL
What in the name of patience brings you hereM
-
Quick Lotta shut the door my violinN
I fear is wetted Now Dear bring a lightO
This clasp is very much too worn and thinN
I'll take the other fiddle out to nightO
If it still rains Tut Tut my child you're quiteO
Clumsy Here help me hold the case while IP
Give me the candle No the inside's dryP
-
Thank God for that Well Lotta how are youQ
A bad storm but the house still stands I seeR
Is my pipe filled my Dear I'll have a fewQ
Puffs and a snooze before I eat my teaR
What do you say That you were feared for meR
Nonsense my child Yes kiss me now don't talkS
I need a rest the theatre's a long walkS
-
Her needles still her hands upon her lapT
Patiently laid Charlotta Altgelt satU
And watched the rain run window In his napT
Her husband stirred and muttered Seeing thatU
Charlotta rose and softly pit a patU
Climbed up the stairs and in her little roomF
Found sighing comfort with a moon in bloomF
-
But even rainy windows silver litV
By a new burst storm whetted moon may giveW
But poor content to loneliness and itV
Was hard for young Charlotta so to striveX
And down her eagerness and learn to liveX
In placid quiet While her husband sleptY
Charlotta in her upper chamber weptY
-
Herr Concert Meister Altgelt was a manK
Gentle and unambitious that aloneZ
Had kept him back He played as few men canK
Drawing out of his instrument a toneZ
So shimmering sweet and palpitant it shoneZ
Like a bright thread of sound hung in the airI
Afloat and swinging upward slim and fairI
-
Above all things above Charlotta his wifeA2
Herr Altgelt loved his violin a fineB2
Cremona pattern Stradivari's lifeA2
Was flowering out of early disciplineC2
When this was fashioned Of soft cutting pineB2
The belly was The back of broadly curledD2
Maple the head made thick and sharply whirledD2
-
The slanting youthful sound holes throughQ
The belly of fine vigorous pineB2
Mellowed each note and blewQ
It out again with a woody flavourQ
Tanged and fragrant as fir trees areQ
When breezes in their needles jarQ
-
The varnish was an orange brownE2
Lustered like glass that's long laid downE2
Under a crumbling villa stoneZ
Purfled stoutly with mitres which pointF2
Straight up the corners Each curve and jointF2
Clear and bold and thinN
Such was Herr Theodore's violinN
-
Seven o'clock the Concert Meister goneG2
With his best violin the rain being stoppedH2
Frau Lotta in the kitchen sat aloneZ
Watching the embers which the fire droppedH2
The china shone upon the dresser toppedH2
By polished copper vessels which her skillI2
Kept brightly burnished It was very stillI2
-
An air from 'Orfeo' hummed in her headJ2
Herr Altgelt had been practising beforeQ
The night's performance Charlotta had pleadK2
With him to stay with her Even at the doorQ
She'd begged him not to go I do imploreQ
You for this evening Theodore she had saidJ2
Leave them to night and stay with me insteadJ2
-
A silly poppet Theodore pinched her earQ
You'd like to have our good Elector turnL2
Me out I think But Theodore something queerQ
Ails me Oh do but notice how they burnL2
My cheeks The thunder worried me You're sternL2
And cold and only love your work I knowJ
But Theodore for this evening do not goJ
-
But he had gone hurriedly at the endM2
For she had kept him talking Now she satU
Alone again always alone the trendM2
Of all her thinking brought her back to thatU
She wished to banish What would life be WhatN2
For she was young and loved while he was movedO2
Only by music Each day that was provedO2
-
Each day he rose and practised While he playedP2
She stopped her work and listened and her heartQ2
Swelled painfully beneath her bodice SwayedP2
And longing she would hide from him her smartQ2
Well Lottchen will that do Then what a startQ2
She gave and she would run to him and cryQ
And he would gently chide her Fie Dear fieA2
-
I'm glad I played it well But such a takingG
You'll hear the thing enough before I've doneC2
And she would draw away from him still shakingG
Had he but guessed she was another oneC2
Another violin Her strings were achingG
Stretched to the touch of his bow hand againR2
He played and she almost broke at the strainS2
-
Where was the use of thinking of it nowT2
Sitting alone and listening to the clockU2
She'd best make haste and knit another rowJ
Three hours at least must pass before his knockU2
Would startle her It always was a shockU2
She listened listened for so long beforeQ
That when it came her hearing almost toreQ
-
She caught herself just starting in to listenC2
What nerves she had rattling like brittle sticksV2
She wandered to the window for the glistenC2
Of a bright moon was tempting Snuffed the wicksV2
Of her two candles Still she could not fixV2
To anything The moon in a broad swathW2
Beckoned her out and down the garden pathX2
-
Against the house her hollyhocks stood highA2
And black their shadows doubling them The nightO
Was white and still with moonlight and a sighA2
Of blowing leaves was there and the dim flightO
Of insects and the smell of aconiteO
And stocks and Marvel of Peru She flittedO
Along the path where blocks of shadow pittedO
-
The even flags She let herself go dreamingG
Of Theodore her husband and the tuneY2
From 'Orfeo' swam through her mind but seemingG
Changed shriller Of a sudden the clear moonY2
Showed her a passer by inopportuneY2
Indeed but here he was whistling and stridingG
Lotta squeezed in between the currants hidingG
-
The best laid plans of mice and men alasZ2
The stranger came indeed but did not passZ2
Instead he leant upon the garden gateO
Folding his arms and whistling Lotta's stateO
Crouched in the prickly currants on wet grassZ2
Was far from pleasant Still the stranger stayedO
And Lotta in her currants watched dismayedO
-
He seemed a proper fellow standing thereQ
In the bright moonshine His cocked hat was lacedO
With silver and he wore his own brown hairQ
Tied but unpowdered His whole bearing gracedO
A fine cloth coat and ruffled shirt and chasedO
Sword hilt Charlotta looked but her positionC2
Was hardly easy When would his volitionC2
-
Suggest his walking on And then that tuneY2
A half a dozen bars from 'Orfeo'A2
Gone over and over and murdered What FortuneC2
Had brought him there to stare about him soJ
Ach Gott im Himmel Why will he not goJ
Thought Lotta but the young man whistled onA3
And seemed in no great hurry to be goneG2
-
Charlotta crouched among the currant bushesB3
Watched the moon slowly dip from twig to twigC3
If Theodore should chance to come and blushesB3
Streamed over her He would not care a figC3
He'd only laugh She pushed aside a sprigC3
Of sharp edged leaves and peered then she uproseB3
Amid her bushes Sir said she pray whoseB3
-
Garden do you suppose you're watching WhyA2
Do you stand there I really must insistO
Upon your leaving 'Tis unmannerlyI2
To stay so long The young man gave a twistO
And turned about and in the amethystO
Moonlight he saw her like a nymph half risenC2
From the green bushes which had been her prisonC2
-
He swept his hat off in a hurried bowT2
Your pardon Madam I had no ideaO
I was not quite alone and that is howT2
I came to stay My trespass was not sheerQ
Impertinence I thought no one was hereQ
And really gardens cry to be admiredO
To night especially it seemed requiredO
-
And may I beg to introduce myselfA2
Heinrich Marohl of Munich And your nameD3
Charlotta told him And the artful elfA2
Promptly exclaimed about her husband's fameD3
So Lotta half unwilling slowly cameD3
To conversation with him When she wentO
Into the house she found the evening spentO
-
Theodore arrived quite wearied out and teasedO
With all excitement in him burned awayE3
It had gone well he said the audience pleasedO
And he had played his very best to dayE3
But afterwards he had been forced to stayE3
And practise with the stupid ones His headO
Ached furiously and he must get to bedO

Amy Lowell



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