Tarantella Poem by Hilaire Belloc

Tarantella

Rating: 3.4


Do you remember an Inn,
Miranda?
Do you remember an Inn?
And the tedding and the spreading
Of the straw for a bedding,
And the fleas that tease in the High Pyrenees,
And the wine that tasted of tar?
And the cheers and the jeers of the young muleteers
(Under the vine of the dark veranda)?
Do you remember an Inn, Miranda,
Do you remember an Inn?
And the cheers and the jeers of the young muleteers
Who hadn't got a penny,
And who weren't paying any,
And the hammer at the doors and the din?
And the hip! hop! hap!
Of the clap
Of the hands to the swirl and the twirl
Of the girl gone chancing,
Glancing,
Dancing,
Backing and advancing,
Snapping of the clapper to the spin
Out and in--
And the ting, tong, tang of the guitar!
Do you remember an Inn,
Miranda?
Do you remember an Inn?

Never more;
Miranda,
Never more.
Only the high peaks hoar;
And Aragon a torrent at the door.
No sound
In the walls of the halls where falls
The tread
Of the feet of the dead to the ground,
No sound:
But the boom
Of the far waterfall like doom.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Immanuel Santos 15 August 2012

And the hip! hop! hap! Of the clap Of the hands to the swirl and the twirl Of the girl gone chancing, Glancing, Dancing, Backing and advancing, Snapping of the clapper to the spin Out and in- beautifully made! 10++

22 5 Reply
Carlos Echeverria 15 August 2012

How wonderfully, ironically prescient that the words hip! hop! are in this poem-for it has a true funky rhythm.

13 9 Reply
Bselvey Selvey 12 July 2012

I learned this by rote aged 12. I loved it then and love it now. It is so evocative of the flamenco beat and mourns the loss of a friend/dancer. i used to think that it was linked to the Spanish Civil war in some way-but that was only a child's imagination

7 11 Reply
Adair Cross 09 February 2010

I have always believed that this poem was about a girl who was bitten by a tarantula.(Tarentella dance-it was thought that by dancing the spiders venom would wear off) .It has always been a favourite of mine and I won an eisteddfod with it at the precocious age of 10!

9 7 Reply
Ramesh T A 15 August 2011

A light weight poem made joyful to read by the play of words is an art only Hilaire Belloc can do better ever!

8 7 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 31 August 2021

Rereading this, still an amazing read and excellent poem

0 2 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 30 August 2021

Just visible now on my home page. Congratulations being chosen as The Classic Poem Of The Day!

0 1 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 30 August 2021

Enjioyed very much having reread this! I had given this 5 Stars earlier in this year but I do it now once again because of the brilliant tunes in this Song poem

1 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 30 August 2021

This is thought-provoking poem but sweetly tuned in best end rhymes and brilliant rhythm.5 Stars full!

1 0 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 30 August 2021

Amazing thought-provoking poem. Finest read, bit melancholic.but very brilliant.5 Stars!

1 0 Reply
Hilaire Belloc

Hilaire Belloc

La Celle-Saint-Cloud
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