Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Piano" is a poem by David Herbert Lawrence written in 1918 that explores the theme of nostalgia and the power of memory. The poem is written from the perspective of an adult who is transported back in time to his childhood through the music of a piano.

The poem begins with the speaker describing how the sound of the piano takes him back to his childhood, where he remembers sitting under the piano and listening to his mother play. The speaker notes how the music filled him with a sense of security and warmth, and how he longs to experience that feeling again.

As the poem progresses, the speaker describes the various sensory experiences that he associates with the piano and his childhood. He notes how the smell of the "warm, scent of the elder bushes" and the feel of the "dark, shining, small-leaved rhododendron" transport him back to that time and place.

The final stanza of the poem is particularly poignant, as the speaker reflects on the power of memory and the importance of holding onto the past.

Overall, "Piano" is a powerful and evocative poem that celebrates the power of memory and the nostalgia that we all feel for the past. The poem encourages readers to look back on their own childhoods with fondness and appreciation, and to cherish the memories that have shaped their lives.

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