Tarantella (1921)
by H. Belloc
2366483Tarantella1921H. Belloc


Tarantella

By H. BELLOC

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 dark of the vine veranda)?
Do you remember an inn, Miranda?
Do you remember an inn?
And the cheers and the jeers of the young muleteeers
Who had n't got a penny,
And who were n'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 twirl and the swirl
Of the girl gone chancing,
Glancing,
Dancing,
Backing and advancing,
Snapping of a 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.

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.


The longest-living author of this work died in 1953, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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