TEMPO
MY body could play delicate tunes,
Music exquisite and thin,
But I must keep it in its case
Like a violin.
A Scherzo prances in my blood,
Mercurial and quick;
I pirouette—the box snaps tight
With a malicious click.
A Saraband is not for me,
It makes the varnish crack.
I must play a grave, grave tune
Slow and elegiac!