<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; = charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2800.1141" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thanks, Robert, and interesting diversion.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Kevin</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; = BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: = black"><B>From:</B> <A title=rrg@unlv.edu href="mailto:rrg@unlv.edu">Robert = Goodale</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A = title=pianotech@ptg.org href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, March 20, 2003 = 11:43 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Piano Poetry - = translation</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>> This is interesting.  I = like it, though I'm not entirely sure what it means.  Keep your day job, but I = think your nights should be devoted >  to the coffee house circuit. =  And while we're waiting for word of your successes to the beat of the = bongo, how about a</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>>  translation??? = <BR>><BR>> Dave Stahl</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial = size=2>---------------------------------------------------</FONT></DIV>= <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I knew it would come down to = this.  Okay, for those who never had a poetry class, didn't pay attention if you = did, or are just clouded by my warped sense of logic, here is the translation:</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG><FONT size=4></FONT></STRONG></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG><FONT size=4>Betsy’s Cry</FONT></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=-2>By = Rob Goodale, RPT</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"Betsy Ross" is arguably among those = on the top ten worst piano list.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><EM><STRONG>She cries for an echo, a ghost.</STRONG></EM></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><EM><STRONG>History’s crude humor, the final insult.</STRONG></EM></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Meaning a piano with a historic = reference would be expected to be much more.  Instead it is a wannabe, a "ghost" = of the real thing.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><EM><STRONG>Fleece the fair passed by,</STRONG></EM></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><EM><STRONG>Weak from the head, soft but without purpose.</STRONG></EM></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Fleece = felt.  Those who have = ever been to a state fair know that livestock is judged for quality and awards are given.  The quality of the felt is so poor that = the sheep from which it came would have never placed.  The hammers also = lack tension and are too soft for any reasonable tone quality.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><EM><STRONG>Should have been the = box from which she came.</STRONG></EM></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1></FONT><FONT = size=-1><EM><STRONG>The most critical was not rejected, begs for = more.</STRONG></EM></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The quality of the materials, i.e. = wood used in the case construction, action, and so on would have been more useful = in building a piano shipping crate rather than the piano = itself.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><STRONG><EM>Newton’s dream, = gravity without weight.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1></FONT><FONT = size=-1><STRONG><EM>Her input loose, compromises to the side.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Newton, as in "Sir Isaac".  The = keys have no weights and are uneven.  "Input" = keys.  Poor quality = felt was used and with no key buttons, thus much wobble. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><STRONG><EM>Not of wood, an = unnatural element.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1></FONT><FONT = size=-1><STRONG><EM>Broken and crumbled, her children now silent.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT face=Arial></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT = face=Arial>Broken plastic elbows.  The "children" i.e. "notes" are no longer able to play.</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT face=Arial></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT size=+0><STRONG><EM>Slips = away, her voice lost to friction and = time.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT = size=+0></FONT></FONT><FONT size=-1><STRONG><EM>The steel now stolen, the gift lost.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Loose tuning pins, the "steel", = (strings), no longer maintain pitch.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG><EM>The savior is called and discriminates.</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG><EM>Hours go by, she remains silent but hopeful.</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT face=Arial></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The pianotech arrives!  He = begins his work... good luck!</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT size=+0><STRONG><EM>Moment = of truth, will she breath?</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><FONT size=-1><FONT = size=+0></FONT></FONT><FONT size=-1><STRONG><EM>She coughs and sighs, tired eyes open.</EM></STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>At last the piano will play = again though it still remains a lousy excuse of a piano.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG><EM>Exhausted and regret, the servant collects.</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT size=2><STRONG><EM>The apprentice now sits and begins = self torture.</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The poor piano tech now tired from = working on this PSO, collects his bill.  Then the misguided kid sits at = the piano to practice on this "thing".</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>Think in metaphor boys and = girls, think in metaphor!</STRONG></FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>