Diera Dance Of The Harp Analysis

Diera had been born into the Irish Travelers community. They traveled from town to town selling the tools they made and busking for their livelihood. As a child, music filled Diera with passion, and that passion grew with her. Her parents watched joyfully to see Diera dance to jigs and hornpipes, humming softly to the fiddle and harp. They were not wealthy, but they could afford to let Diera learn to strum the harp.

There were many teachers in the community, but Diera chose Penlin, the great harper and fiddler, as her instructor. Diera spent much time with her harp. Sometimes, when Penlin presented her with a particularly difficult song, she would refuse to leave until she had learnt it properly.

"Ah," Penlin would chuckle, "Diera will make

With trembling fingers he gave it to her. The harp that so many had admired, but so few had played (Paradox). This is how the harp found Diera, for Diera did not find the harp- The harp found her.

With Penlin gone, Diera traveled less. Music still flowed from her fingers, but now Diera had new wishes. She heard of a lovely fishing village called Fanore. Intrigued by the tales of its beauty, Diera traveled to the village.

She was greeted by the sound of crashing waves and squawking seagulls, who seemed to welcome her to their quaint way of life. It was a small town, with several crooked houses and farms, a tavern, smithy, and the ruins of a castle on a hill. The long, lush grass flowed into the rippling green hills, and the hills became waves, and the waves crashed into the sky. Rustling grass played a song, which the seagulls sang (Personification) to and they smithy’s hammer kept the beat to with a consistent clank. Diera took a room at the Rose and Crown Tavern, and the next day she determined to meet the

She secured a job playing at the Rose and Crown, and the villagers, though somewhat cool at first to the odd outsider, learned to love the passionate girl with a harp fit for a lord. Another thing happened during these months, Diera wed the smithy, Aidan, whose lively hammer had so enchanted her upon her arrival. Diera’s family came for the wedding, and all who were their laughed and sang with joy.

Months turned to quickly into years, which were filled with great happiness. Diera lived happily and eventually had a daughter, Gwilan. She took to music like young seagulls take to the sky (Comparison). Diera nurtured Gwilan's musical love, as her own parents had.

However, time is not always kind to the elderly, and as Gwilan grew stronger and older Diera's strength faded and she too grew older (Contrast). Gwilan and Aidan stayed with Diera for hours. They took her out to gaze at the ocean and sky she once loved, however her eyes did not see beauty, nor did her ears hear the music they once had.

The time came when Diera's last days dawned. Gwilan came to her side, offering what comfort she could. From her bedside Diera took a harp, the same that Penlin had given her, and to Gwilan she gave it. So, the harp found a new owner, with whom it would travel for many years, bringing joy to all who heard its