The Cremona Violin Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

Rhyme Scheme: A BCBCCDD EFEFFGG HIHIIHH HJHJJ HKHKKLM NONOOPP QRQRRS TUTUUGG VWVXXYY KZKZZJJ A2B2A2C2B2D2D2 QB2QQQQ E2E2ZF2F2NN G2H2ZH2H2I2I2 J2QK2QQJ2 QL2QL2L2M2 N2UN2UO2P2P2 Q2R2Q2R2R2QA2 H HC2HS2T2 U2V2M2V2V2QQ C2W2C2W2W2X2Y2 A2OA2OOOO HZ2HZ2Z2HH A3A3OOA3OO QOQOOC2C2 Z2A2C2B3

Part FirstA
-
Frau Concert Meister Altgelt shut the doorB
A storm was rising heavy gusts of windC
Swirled through the trees and scattered leaves beforeB
Her on the clean flagged path The sky behindC
The distant town was black and sharp definedC
Against it shone the lines of roofs and towersD
Superimposed and flat like cardboard flowersD
-
A pasted city on a purple groundE
Picked out with luminous paint it seemed The cloudF
Split on an edge of lightning and a soundE
Of rivers full and rushing boomed through bowedF
Tossed hissing branches Thunder rumbled loudF
Beyond the town fast swallowing into gloomG
Frau Altgelt closed the windows of each roomG
-
She bustled round to shake by constant movingH
The strange weird atmosphere She stirred the fireI
She twitched the supper cloth as though improvingH
Its careful setting then her own attireI
Came in for notice tiptoeing higher and higherI
She peered into the wall glass now adjustingH
A straying lock or else a ribbon thrustingH
-
This way or that to suit her At last sittingH
Or rather plumping down upon a chairJ
She took her work the stocking she was knittingH
And watched the rain upon the window glareJ
In white bright drops Through the black glass a flareJ
Of lightning squirmed about her needles 'Oh '-
She cried 'What can be keeping Theodore so '-
-
A roll of thunder set the casements clappingH
Frau Altgelt flung her work aside and ranK
Pulled open the house door with kerchief flappingH
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 walk '-
-
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 roomG
Found sighing comfort with a moon in bloomG
-
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 airJ
Afloat and swinging upward slim and fairJ
-
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 instead '-
-
'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 knowM2
But Theodore for this evening do not go '-
-
But he had gone hurriedly at the endN2
For she had kept him talking Now she satU
Alone again always alone the trendN2
Of all her thinking brought her back to thatU
She wished to banish What would life be WhatO2
For she was young and loved while he was movedP2
Only by music Each day that was provedP2
-
Each day he rose and practised While he playedQ2
She stopped her work and listened and her heartR2
Swelled painfully beneath her bodice SwayedQ2
And longing she would hide from him her smartR2
'Well Lottchen will that do ' Then what a startR2
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 takingH
You'll hear the thing enough before I've done '-
And she would draw away from him still shakingH
Had he but guessed she was another oneC2
Another violin Her strings were achingH
Stretched to the touch of his bow hand againS2
He played and she almost broke at the strainT2
-
Where was the use of thinking of it nowU2
Sitting alone and listening to the clockV2
She'd best make haste and knit another rowM2
Three hours at least must pass before his knockV2
Would startle her It always was a shockV2
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 sticksW2
She wandered to the window for the glistenC2
Of a bright moon was tempting Snuffed the wicksW2
Of her two candles Still she could not fixW2
To anything The moon in a broad swathX2
Beckoned her out and down the garden pathY2
-
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 dreamingH
Of Theodore her husband and the tuneZ2
From Orfeo' swam through her mind but seemingH
Changed shriller Of a sudden the clear moonZ2
Showed her a passer by inopportuneZ2
Indeed but here he was whistling and stridingH
Lotta squeezed in between the currants hidingH
-
'The best laid plans of mice and men ' alasA3
The stranger came indeed but did not passA3
Instead he leant upon the garden gateO
Folding his arms and whistling Lotta's stateO
Crouched in the prickly currants on wet grassA3
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 tuneZ2
A half a dozen bars from Orfeo'A2
Gone over and over and murdered What FortuneC2
Had brought him thB3

Amy Lowell



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