S5 E10: Dorothy Dances by Louis Untermeyer
Louis Untermeyer’s poem “Dorothy Dances” captures the essence of youthful exuberance and the fleeting nature of joy. The poem vividly portrays the character of Dorothy, who embodies innocence and a carefree spirit. Through rich imagery and rhythmic cadence, Untermeyer captures the dance as a metaphor for life’s ephemeral moments.
“Dorothy Dances” invites us to explore the interplay between innocence and the complexities of adult life. Reading this poem allows me to reflect on my own experiences of joy and loss. My key takeaways from “Dorothy Dances” are to appreciate the beauty of simplicity, the importance of cherishing moments of happiness, and an acknowledgment of the bittersweet transitions we all face as we age. Ultimately, “Dorothy Dances” serves as a poignant reminder to embrace life’s dance, with all its ups and downs.
Dorothy Dances by Louis Untermeyer
This is no child that dances. This is flame.
Here fire at last has found its natural frame.
What else is that which burns and flies
From those enkindled eyes...
What is that inner blaze
Which plays
About that lighted face?...
This thing is fire set free—
Fire possesses her, or rather she
Controls its mastery.
With every gesture, every rhythmic stride,
Beat after beat,
It follows, purring at her side,
Or licks the shadows of her flashing feet.
Around her everywhere
It coils its thread of yellow hair.
Through every vein its bright blood creeps,
And its red hands
Caress her as she stands
Or lift her boldly when she leaps.
Then, as the surge
Of radiance grows stronger
These two are two no longer
And they merge
Into a disembodied ecstasy;
Free
To express some half-forgotten hunger,
Some half-forbidden urge.
What mystery
Has been at work until it blent
One child and that fierce element?
Give it no name.
It is enough that flesh has danced with flame.
Music by Epidemic Sound
Hot Nights in the City By Riverworn
https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/gHq93ca4U3/
“Solitude in Motion” By Golden Age Radio
https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/L1wFapK56R/
