My Interpretation of, The Dance

“The Dance” by William Carlos Williams is a very beautiful poem. Williams’ quote “No Idea but the thing,” perfectly fits to describe his poem on the Dance. It is so rich in imagery, and is just about the beauty in a dance at a town fair. Something that is so commonplace, but yet as the dancers swirl around he notes the beauty of every tiny little detail of that dance. He talks about how their bellies go off balance, and how each turn is so beautiful. Williams’ theoretical solution to the meaningless of life is to notice what beauty each small thing holds. He is trying to show his readers that life is full of meaning, even if it is of no grandeur life. A simple life is full of meaning, and among each and every detail of every action and everything beauty can be found.

The “Thing” in this poem that Williams describes is a dance. He first uses the line, “In Brueghel’s great picture, The Kermess,” It is a beautiful painting in which you can see in the background people dancing and having a good time. They are not physically fit people, nor experts; they are just normal everyday people having a good time.

Continuing on about this picture Williams describes how the dancers go round, and round and around. This is a really simple basic move, probably the simplest of any description of any dance. They just go, “around”.

Next, Williams adds on to the image in your mind the noises, “the squeal and the blare and the tweedle of bagpipes, a bugle and fiddles tipping their bellies.” So you already have the image of joy and peace. He gives the image of happy people not thinking of the problems of the day, or any negative thoughts, just enjoying themselves with their family and friends at the moment. Adding the sounds of bagpipes, and bugles and fiddles contributes the upbeat feeling of joy that fits so nicely with the image of these happy down to earth people enjoying their simple dance.

“Their hips and their bellies of balance to turn them. Kicking and rolling about the Fair Grounds, swinging their butts,” He increases the feeling of excitement by adding these words. Not only have you imagined a lovely day being with friends and family, not worrying about anything, but now is the sort-of climax of a storyline. Everything is perfect. I think in the reader’s imagination, the beat of the music is picking up at this point, or maybe people have had a few drinks and are almost overly-happy.

Williams finishes it off by commenting in a way that sort of emphasizes what I’ve just mentioned. “Those shanks must be sound to bear up under such rollicking measures, prance as they dance in Brueghel’s great picture, The Kermess.” This last part makes you think of the energy emanating from the people dancing. They are just dancing their hearts out and having a good old time. The repeat of the first line as the ending is a beautiful finish.

Williams does a wonderful job bringing the beauty out of such a simple event. Everyday-people dancing is something most of us don’t take a second to stop and watch, or to comment on each and every movement of. Joy, beauty, energy, family, happiness, all the good things in life, did he describe from looking at one, single, painting.