dance on the round table

[lidiavianu]

I am translating a poem by ruth fainilight, and one line says:

I danced lik Esmeralda on the Round Table
as desperately as if to save my life.

I am not aware of any phrase conected to 'dance round' or 'like esmeralda'. am I missing anything if I translate the image as it is, just Esmeralda dancing on a table? The mediaeval Round Table, though...

[Quizmonster]

Esmeralda was one of the central characters in Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I'm not very familiar with the story, to be honest, but it may possibly be that Esmeralda had to dance to save her life in that tale...maybe even on a round table! Perhaps a bit of googling will provide an answer?

[lidiavianu]

I know about Esmeralda, but I know of no English common phrase connected to 'dancing on the table': could it mean 'trying to please everyone at all costs'? This is the meaning of the larger context. Esmeralda is there just for the the image.
Do you know of any phrase that would apply here? I do not want to miss the obvious... If the context does not ring a bell to you as a native, I will just stick to her image, which is very storng.

[Quizmonster]

The general phrase "dancing on the table" usually refers to someone so excited - often because of drunkenness and often in a bar or restaurant - that they cannot stop themselves 'performing' in this manner. In other words, their action is a display of sheer exuberance, joy and self-publicity. Someone might tell them the following morning, "Well, you were dancing on the table last night, weren't you!"
As I said, I don't know why Esmeralda may have danced on a table, but - assuming she danced at all - I do not suppose these were the ideas uppermost in her head! More probably because of desperation for some reason.

[lidiavianu]

Thank you so much. Then I can take it as another image for youthful enthusiasm and love combined, which it is.