The Guitarist

The Guitarist Tunes Up Frances Cornford With what attentive courtesy he bent Over his instrument; Not as a lordly conqueror who could Command both wire and wood, But as a man with a loved woman might, Inquiring with delight What slight essential things she had to say Before they started, he and she, to play. As a guitar player myself I really really enjoyed how the author, Frances Cornford, portrayed the interaction between man and guitar. I like the structure of this poem the way that it is all one giant stanza makes it seem like Cornford is telling the audience a story. I would now like to break down the poem line by line. The opening line is used in a way that makes it seem as thought the man is bending towards a person, like taking a bow, but then the second line states that he bends over his instrument, slightly personifying the guitar. The then he puts in the semi-colon after the second line in order to establish a relationship between the man and his guitar. The lines after the semi-colon describe the relationship as one of love and endearment not of a "conqueror." The man cannot command the strings and the wood but rather speak to them softly as he might to a woman. I really like the personification because if one really does truly love music and love instruments they will treat them as a loved one, or as a romance. People love the music that an instrument can produce and therefore love the instrument. The poem is a beautiful depiction of a relationship many never realize exists.