ABPA - Australian Bush Poets Association

This is a poem I learned at school, we used to recite it as a group, I still love this poem. - Terry

Tarantella by Hilaire 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 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.

Hilaire Belloc

That's a new one for me Terry.. I love it.

Me too!

It almost sounds like a song. Do you know when it was written?

Hi Neville glad you enjoyed it.

I've always thought this was a great poem.

Even when reciting it as boy of about twelve it touched a chord with me and still does.

This poem really brings the scene alive, to me at least. And the clever use of words, rhyme & rhythm are really something special.

Cheers Terry

Terry I heard a very clever one recited at Bundaberg earlier this year and the lady said it was one she had learnt at school. She kindly gave me a printed copy. I'll dig it out and see if I can find it on the net.

Heather

Hi Heather

He was born in 1870 and died in 1953

I'm not sure when Tarentella was written, he wrote quite a lot of poetry and you can find some of it on the web

one of his well know works was 'bad child's book of beasts', which was published in 1895.

He went to Oxford and was at one time a member of the British Parliament I believe.

Terry

Hi Terry,
It's a great poem that spans generations in our family... my father and I both did it at school, and it has turned into a family favourite that we break into every so often. We especially like 'the fleas that tease in the high Pyrenees'!
Robyn

Hi Robyn,
I always remember that bit as well.
It's the sort of poem that stays, at least to some extent, in the memory isn't it.
when I was at school we used to recite as a sort of choir (can't remember what you call group reciting) at the inter school competitions.
This is the only one that I remember.

Sounds like we went to similar like schools Robyn?

Cheers Terry

Hi Terry,
Apart from the fact my school was girls only!

Hi Robyn,
And mine was a boys only boarding school, there was a girls only boarding school about 2 klms. down the road. We used to go on strictly controlled walks on some weekends and occasionally walked past their school, or rather the big wall that sort of surrounded it. Mind you the oldest of us were only about 12 years old, so apart from curiosity, girls were of little interest to us at that stage.

Terry