Lawrence introduces us to his childhood - as an important part of his life - using a piano as a symbol of this stage. In the poem we can find references to two pianos. In the first two lines of the poem Lawrence takes us - through the dusk - to his past. This way he lets us inside his childhood memories within the first two paragraphs. In the last part of the poem he leads us to his adulthood, exactly when he is remembering. So that the first piano refers to his childhood and the second one refers to his adulthood. .
The first piano is a "tinkling" and "tingling" one. You can still feel the "boom" of the strings when reading those lines. Special feelings arise from this part, where that unique joy of a little child from being with his mother is felt. We can see the loving affection and security that Lawrence's mother made him feel. The piano is more than a symbol of music enjoyment, it is a "guide", a moment when the poet and his mother gathered on Sundays for a precious moment. Lawrence speaks about his home life. He pictures a small boy positioned beneath the piano, this is more than just a childhood memory. .
The represented atmosphere at this stage is filled with joy, fun, comfort and home warmth - "the hymns in the cosy parlour" , "with winter outside" (just like a fireplace!) - that shows us a great sense of the author of belonging to the past. .
The second piano is where Lawrence brings us back to his adulthood. At this point he refers to "the great black piano appassionato", where a great intensity is reflected on the memory of the poet. It seems that he wants to release himself from the tears of remembrance when he says, "It is vain for the singer to burst into clamour". However he ends saying, " I weep like a child for the past". I think this is attached to the nostalgia felt by the poet ("the singer") about the importance of the piano as a symbol of his childhood. .
Such is the experience of the narrator in D.H. Lawrence's poem, "Piano. " In this poem the narrator is listening to a woman sing. ... "So now it is vain for the singer to burst into clamour/With the great black piano appassionato. The glamour/Of childish days is upon me, my manhood is cast/Down in the flood of remembrance, I weep like a child for the past " (Lawrence 9-12). ...
His mother and young sister died of influenza in 1919, leaving Burgess to a blue collar upbringing by his fatther - a cashier and piano player - an aunt, and later a stepmother" (http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/research/fa/burgess.bio.html). ... He also produced non-fiction books on English literature, linguistics, and the works of James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, and William Shakespeare " (http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/research/fa/burgess.bio.html). ...
