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 OE3OE3E3OOFrau Concert Meister Altgelt shut the door | A |
A storm was rising heavy gusts of wind | B |
Swirled through the trees and scattered leaves before | A |
Her on the clean flagged path The sky behind | B |
The distant town was black and sharp defined | B |
Against it shone the lines of roofs and towers | C |
Superimposed and flat like cardboard flowers | C |
- | |
A pasted city on a purple ground | D |
Picked out with luminous paint it seemed The cloud | E |
Split on an edge of lightning and a sound | D |
Of rivers full and rushing boomed through bowed | E |
Tossed hissing branches Thunder rumbled loud | E |
Beyond the town fast swallowing into gloom | F |
Frau Altgelt closed the windows of each room | F |
- | |
She bustled round to shake by constant moving | G |
The strange weird atmosphere She stirred the fire | H |
She twitched the supper cloth as though improving | G |
Its careful setting then her own attire | H |
Came in for notice tiptoeing higher and higher | H |
She peered into the wall glass now adjusting | G |
A straying lock or else a ribbon thrusting | G |
- | |
This way or that to suit her At last sitting | G |
Or rather plumping down upon a chair | I |
She took her work the stocking she was knitting | G |
And watched the rain upon the window glare | I |
In white bright drops Through the black glass a flare | I |
Of lightning squirmed about her needles Oh | J |
She cried What can be keeping Theodore so | J |
- | |
A roll of thunder set the casements clapping | G |
Frau Altgelt flung her work aside and ran | K |
Pulled open the house door with kerchief flapping | G |
She stood and gazed along the street A man | K |
Flung back the garden gate and nearly ran | K |
Her down as she stood in the door Why Dear | L |
What in the name of patience brings you here | M |
- | |
Quick Lotta shut the door my violin | N |
I fear is wetted Now Dear bring a light | O |
This clasp is very much too worn and thin | N |
I'll take the other fiddle out to night | O |
If it still rains Tut Tut my child you're quite | O |
Clumsy Here help me hold the case while I | P |
Give me the candle No the inside's dry | P |
- | |
Thank God for that Well Lotta how are you | Q |
A bad storm but the house still stands I see | R |
Is my pipe filled my Dear I'll have a few | Q |
Puffs and a snooze before I eat my tea | R |
What do you say That you were feared for me | R |
Nonsense my child Yes kiss me now don't talk | S |
I need a rest the theatre's a long walk | S |
- | |
Her needles still her hands upon her lap | T |
Patiently laid Charlotta Altgelt sat | U |
And watched the rain run window In his nap | T |
Her husband stirred and muttered Seeing that | U |
Charlotta rose and softly pit a pat | U |
Climbed up the stairs and in her little room | F |
Found sighing comfort with a moon in bloom | F |
- | |
But even rainy windows silver lit | V |
By a new burst storm whetted moon may give | W |
But poor content to loneliness and it | V |
Was hard for young Charlotta so to strive | X |
And down her eagerness and learn to live | X |
In placid quiet While her husband slept | Y |
Charlotta in her upper chamber wept | Y |
- | |
Herr Concert Meister Altgelt was a man | K |
Gentle and unambitious that alone | Z |
Had kept him back He played as few men can | K |
Drawing out of his instrument a tone | Z |
So shimmering sweet and palpitant it shone | Z |
Like a bright thread of sound hung in the air | I |
Afloat and swinging upward slim and fair | I |
- | |
Above all things above Charlotta his wife | A2 |
Herr Altgelt loved his violin a fine | B2 |
Cremona pattern Stradivari's life | A2 |
Was flowering out of early discipline | C2 |
When this was fashioned Of soft cutting pine | B2 |
The belly was The back of broadly curled | D2 |
Maple the head made thick and sharply whirled | D2 |
- | |
The slanting youthful sound holes through | Q |
The belly of fine vigorous pine | B2 |
Mellowed each note and blew | Q |
It out again with a woody flavour | Q |
Tanged and fragrant as fir trees are | Q |
When breezes in their needles jar | Q |
- | |
The varnish was an orange brown | E2 |
Lustered like glass that's long laid down | E2 |
Under a crumbling villa stone | Z |
Purfled stoutly with mitres which point | F2 |
Straight up the corners Each curve and joint | F2 |
Clear and bold and thin | N |
Such was Herr Theodore's violin | N |
- | |
Seven o'clock the Concert Meister gone | G2 |
With his best violin the rain being stopped | H2 |
Frau Lotta in the kitchen sat alone | Z |
Watching the embers which the fire dropped | H2 |
The china shone upon the dresser topped | H2 |
By polished copper vessels which her skill | I2 |
Kept brightly burnished It was very still | I2 |
- | |
An air from 'Orfeo' hummed in her head | J2 |
Herr Altgelt had been practising before | Q |
The night's performance Charlotta had plead | K2 |
With him to stay with her Even at the door | Q |
She'd begged him not to go I do implore | Q |
You for this evening Theodore she had said | J2 |
Leave them to night and stay with me instead | J2 |
- | |
A silly poppet Theodore pinched her ear | Q |
You'd like to have our good Elector turn | L2 |
Me out I think But Theodore something queer | Q |
Ails me Oh do but notice how they burn | L2 |
My cheeks The thunder worried me You're stern | L2 |
And cold and only love your work I know | J |
But Theodore for this evening do not go | J |
- | |
But he had gone hurriedly at the end | M2 |
For she had kept him talking Now she sat | U |
Alone again always alone the trend | M2 |
Of all her thinking brought her back to that | U |
She wished to banish What would life be What | N2 |
For she was young and loved while he was moved | O2 |
Only by music Each day that was proved | O2 |
- | |
Each day he rose and practised While he played | P2 |
She stopped her work and listened and her heart | Q2 |
Swelled painfully beneath her bodice Swayed | P2 |
And longing she would hide from him her smart | Q2 |
Well Lottchen will that do Then what a start | Q2 |
She gave and she would run to him and cry | Q |
And he would gently chide her Fie Dear fie | A2 |
- | |
I'm glad I played it well But such a taking | G |
You'll hear the thing enough before I've done | C2 |
And she would draw away from him still shaking | G |
Had he but guessed she was another one | C2 |
Another violin Her strings were aching | G |
Stretched to the touch of his bow hand again | R2 |
He played and she almost broke at the strain | S2 |
- | |
Where was the use of thinking of it now | T2 |
Sitting alone and listening to the clock | U2 |
She'd best make haste and knit another row | J |
Three hours at least must pass before his knock | U2 |
Would startle her It always was a shock | U2 |
She listened listened for so long before | Q |
That when it came her hearing almost tore | Q |
- | |
She caught herself just starting in to listen | C2 |
What nerves she had rattling like brittle sticks | V2 |
She wandered to the window for the glisten | C2 |
Of a bright moon was tempting Snuffed the wicks | V2 |
Of her two candles Still she could not fix | V2 |
To anything The moon in a broad swath | W2 |
Beckoned her out and down the garden path | X2 |
- | |
Against the house her hollyhocks stood high | A2 |
And black their shadows doubling them The night | O |
Was white and still with moonlight and a sigh | A2 |
Of blowing leaves was there and the dim flight | O |
Of insects and the smell of aconite | O |
And stocks and Marvel of Peru She flitted | O |
Along the path where blocks of shadow pitted | O |
- | |
The even flags She let herself go dreaming | G |
Of Theodore her husband and the tune | Y2 |
From 'Orfeo' swam through her mind but seeming | G |
Changed shriller Of a sudden the clear moon | Y2 |
Showed her a passer by inopportune | Y2 |
Indeed but here he was whistling and striding | G |
Lotta squeezed in between the currants hiding | G |
- | |
The best laid plans of mice and men alas | Z2 |
The stranger came indeed but did not pass | Z2 |
Instead he leant upon the garden gate | O |
Folding his arms and whistling Lotta's state | O |
Crouched in the prickly currants on wet grass | Z2 |
Was far from pleasant Still the stranger stayed | O |
And Lotta in her currants watched dismayed | O |
- | |
He seemed a proper fellow standing there | Q |
In the bright moonshine His cocked hat was laced | O |
With silver and he wore his own brown hair | Q |
Tied but unpowdered His whole bearing graced | O |
A fine cloth coat and ruffled shirt and chased | O |
Sword hilt Charlotta looked but her position | C2 |
Was hardly easy When would his volition | C2 |
- | |
Suggest his walking on And then that tune | Y2 |
A half a dozen bars from 'Orfeo' | A2 |
Gone over and over and murdered What Fortune | C2 |
Had brought him there to stare about him so | J |
Ach Gott im Himmel Why will he not go | J |
Thought Lotta but the young man whistled on | A3 |
And seemed in no great hurry to be gone | G2 |
- | |
Charlotta crouched among the currant bushes | B3 |
Watched the moon slowly dip from twig to twig | C3 |
If Theodore should chance to come and blushes | B3 |
Streamed over her He would not care a fig | C3 |
He'd only laugh She pushed aside a sprig | C3 |
Of sharp edged leaves and peered then she uprose | B3 |
Amid her bushes Sir said she pray whose | B3 |
- | |
Garden do you suppose you're watching Why | A2 |
Do you stand there I really must insist | O |
Upon your leaving 'Tis unmannerly | I2 |
To stay so long The young man gave a twist | O |
And turned about and in the amethyst | O |
Moonlight he saw her like a nymph half risen | C2 |
From the green bushes which had been her prison | C2 |
- | |
He swept his hat off in a hurried bow | T2 |
Your pardon Madam I had no idea | O |
I was not quite alone and that is how | T2 |
I came to stay My trespass was not sheer | Q |
Impertinence I thought no one was here | Q |
And really gardens cry to be admired | O |
To night especially it seemed required | O |
- | |
And may I beg to introduce myself | A2 |
Heinrich Marohl of Munich And your name | D3 |
Charlotta told him And the artful elf | A2 |
Promptly exclaimed about her husband's fame | D3 |
So Lotta half unwilling slowly came | D3 |
To conversation with him When she went | O |
Into the house she found the evening spent | O |
- | |
Theodore arrived quite wearied out and teased | O |
With all excitement in him burned away | E3 |
It had gone well he said the audience pleased | O |
And he had played his very best to day | E3 |
But afterwards he had been forced to stay | E3 |
And practise with the stupid ones His head | O |
Ached furiously and he must get to bed | O |
Amy Lowell
(1)
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