Dead Poets Slam at Acton Library
The event was hosted by poet Dean Atta and organised by poet Robin Vaughan-Williams, with the participation of some superb Spoken Word performers. As a homage to Federico García Lorca, I recited La Tarara, an old Spanish children’s song, as well as my English translation of the song. Lorca restored this 19thcentury composition, adapted the lyrics, and set it to music, arranging a full piano score. La Tarara is about a free-spirited woman who dances wildly across the fields in her green dress...
La Tarara
La Tarara, sí;
la tarara, no;
la Tarara, niña,
que la he visto yo.
Lleva la Tarara
un vestido verde
lleno de volantes
y de cascabeles.
La Tarara, sí;
la tarara, no;
la Tarara, niña,
que la he visto yo.
Luce mi Tarara
su cola de seda
sobre las retamas
y la hierbabuena.
La Tarara, sí;
la tarara, no;
la Tarara, niña,
que la he visto yo.
Ay, Tarara loca.
Mueve, la cintura
para los muchachos
de las aceitunas.
La Tarara, sí;
la tarara, no;
la Tarara, niña,
que la he visto yo.
Tarara
Oh, Tarara, yes
Oh, Tarara, no
With my own eyes, my child,
I Tarara saw
Oh, Tarara wears
the prettiest green dress
full of frills and flounces
and adorned with bells.
Oh, Tarara, yes
Oh, Tarara, no
With my own eyes, my child,
I Tarara saw
Showing herself off
with her train of silk,
along shrubs of besom
and hedgerows of wild mint
Oh, Tarara, yes
Oh, Tarara, no
With my own eyes, my child,
I Tarara saw
Oh Tarara, what a frenzy,
how she swings her waist,
and all those young men, those olive-pickers,
look at nothing but her sway
Oh, Tarara, yes
Oh Tarara, no
With my own eyes, my child,
I Tarara saw
©isabeldelrio2026
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