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 Z2A2C2B3Part First | A |
- | |
Frau Concert Meister Altgelt shut the door | B |
A storm was rising heavy gusts of wind | C |
Swirled through the trees and scattered leaves before | B |
Her on the clean flagged path The sky behind | C |
The distant town was black and sharp defined | C |
Against it shone the lines of roofs and towers | D |
Superimposed and flat like cardboard flowers | D |
- | |
A pasted city on a purple ground | E |
Picked out with luminous paint it seemed The cloud | F |
Split on an edge of lightning and a sound | E |
Of rivers full and rushing boomed through bowed | F |
Tossed hissing branches Thunder rumbled loud | F |
Beyond the town fast swallowing into gloom | G |
Frau Altgelt closed the windows of each room | G |
- | |
She bustled round to shake by constant moving | H |
The strange weird atmosphere She stirred the fire | I |
She twitched the supper cloth as though improving | H |
Its careful setting then her own attire | I |
Came in for notice tiptoeing higher and higher | I |
She peered into the wall glass now adjusting | H |
A straying lock or else a ribbon thrusting | H |
- | |
This way or that to suit her At last sitting | H |
Or rather plumping down upon a chair | J |
She took her work the stocking she was knitting | H |
And watched the rain upon the window glare | J |
In white bright drops Through the black glass a flare | J |
Of lightning squirmed about her needles 'Oh ' | - |
She cried 'What can be keeping Theodore so ' | - |
- | |
A roll of thunder set the casements clapping | H |
Frau Altgelt flung her work aside and ran | K |
Pulled open the house door with kerchief flapping | H |
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 ' | - |
- | |
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 | G |
Found sighing comfort with a moon in bloom | G |
- | |
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 | J |
Afloat and swinging upward slim and fair | J |
- | |
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 ' | - |
- | |
'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 | M2 |
But Theodore for this evening do not go ' | - |
- | |
But he had gone hurriedly at the end | N2 |
For she had kept him talking Now she sat | U |
Alone again always alone the trend | N2 |
Of all her thinking brought her back to that | U |
She wished to banish What would life be What | O2 |
For she was young and loved while he was moved | P2 |
Only by music Each day that was proved | P2 |
- | |
Each day he rose and practised While he played | Q2 |
She stopped her work and listened and her heart | R2 |
Swelled painfully beneath her bodice Swayed | Q2 |
And longing she would hide from him her smart | R2 |
'Well Lottchen will that do ' Then what a start | R2 |
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 | H |
You'll hear the thing enough before I've done ' | - |
And she would draw away from him still shaking | H |
Had he but guessed she was another one | C2 |
Another violin Her strings were aching | H |
Stretched to the touch of his bow hand again | S2 |
He played and she almost broke at the strain | T2 |
- | |
Where was the use of thinking of it now | U2 |
Sitting alone and listening to the clock | V2 |
She'd best make haste and knit another row | M2 |
Three hours at least must pass before his knock | V2 |
Would startle her It always was a shock | V2 |
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 | W2 |
She wandered to the window for the glisten | C2 |
Of a bright moon was tempting Snuffed the wicks | W2 |
Of her two candles Still she could not fix | W2 |
To anything The moon in a broad swath | X2 |
Beckoned her out and down the garden path | Y2 |
- | |
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 | H |
Of Theodore her husband and the tune | Z2 |
From Orfeo' swam through her mind but seeming | H |
Changed shriller Of a sudden the clear moon | Z2 |
Showed her a passer by inopportune | Z2 |
Indeed but here he was whistling and striding | H |
Lotta squeezed in between the currants hiding | H |
- | |
'The best laid plans of mice and men ' alas | A3 |
The stranger came indeed but did not pass | A3 |
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 | A3 |
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 | Z2 |
A half a dozen bars from Orfeo' | A2 |
Gone over and over and murdered What Fortune | C2 |
Had brought him th | B3 |
Amy Lowell
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
Write your comment about The Cremona Violin poem by Amy Lowell
Best Poems of Amy Lowell