Hilaire Belloc: Tarantella

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a vivid, almost feverish picture of a past encounter at a rustic inn, directly addressing someone named Miranda. The narrator recalls a chaotic, sensory overload: the rough comfort of straw bedding, the biting fleas of the Pyrenees, the harsh taste of tar-tinged wine, and the boisterous, penniless muleteers. This scene is punctuated by the frenetic energy of a dance, a whirlwind of movement and sound, culminating in the sharp snap of a clapper and the resonant strum of a guitar. It’s a memory that feels both intensely alive and slightly unhinged. The dominant tension lies between the vibrant, almost overwhelming sensory details of the past and the stark, silent finality of the present. The repeated question, "Do you remember an Inn?" emphasizes a desperate attempt to hold onto this memory. Yet, the shift to "Never more" creates a sharp, melancholic contrast. The lively "cheers and jeers" and the dancing girl are replaced by the "high peaks hoar" and the "boom of the far Waterfall like Doom." The poem’s craft excels in its use of onomatopoeia and rapid-fire imagery to capture the chaotic energy of the memory. Phrases like "Hip! Hop! Hap!" and "Ting, Tong, Tang" mimic the sounds of the dance and music, pulling the reader into the scene. This is juxtaposed with the chillingly quiet, almost funereal description of the present, where the only sounds are the "tread of the feet of the dead" and the distant, ominous waterfall. This lyrical construction makes the memory of the inn feel both precious and perhaps a little dangerous, a wildness that cannot be recaptured. The stark contrast between the lively past and the desolate present amplifies the sense of loss and the irretrievable nature of time. The final image of the waterfall like "Doom" suggests that the memory, while vivid, is ultimately overshadowed by an inescapable, somber reality.