Image of childhood and the Power of Memory in the Poem Piano.
Piano is a notable literary work by D. H. Lawrence. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Piano.
Answer
What image of childhood and the power of memory do you get from the poem “Piano?”
In D.H. Lawrence’s (1885-1930) poem “Piano”(1913), childhood is depicted as a warm, safe, and happy time filled with love and closeness. The speaker, now an adult, recalls sitting under the piano as a young boy, feeling secure as his mother played hymns.
The Image of Childhood: This image of a child sitting close to his mother while listening to the “tingling strings” of the piano suggests a sense of comfort, protection, and innocence. His childhood home was cozy, warm, and welcoming, especially during cold winter nights. The home was like a world of its own.
The Power of Memory: In the poem, the power of memory is overwhelming and almost uncontrollable. The music the speaker hears in the present moment pulls him “back down the vista of years” to his past. This present music brings back vivid details of those Sunday nights with his mother when the speaker was a child.
Softly, in the dusk, a woman is singing to me;
Taking me back down the vista of years, till I see
A child sitting under the piano, in the boom of the tingling strings
Although the speaker tries to resist, the song has a strong grip on him. The song draws out emotions he thought were hidden. His longing for the past becomes so intense that he “weeps like a child for the past.”
In short, this poem shows how memories, especially of a happy childhood, can become so overwhelming and bring both joy and sadness. In “Piano,” childhood memories are beautiful but bittersweet. The memories remind the speaker of a time that he can never experience again.