William Walton — Tarantella

Where the satyrs are chattering Nymphs with their flattering Glimpse of the forest enhance All the beauty of marrow and Cucumber narrow And Ceres will join in the dance Where the satyrs can flatter The flat-leaved fruit And the gherkin green And the marrow Said Queen Venus "Silenus, we'll settle between us The gourd and the cucumber narrow!" See, like palaces hid in the lake They shake - Those greenhouses shot By her arrow narrow! The gardener seizes the pieces, like Croesus, for gilding the Potting-shed barrow There the radish roots And the strawberry fruits Feel the nymphs' high boots In the glade Trampling and sampling mazurkas Cachucas and turkas Cracoviaks hid in the shade Where, in the haycocks The Country nymphs' gay flocks Wear gowns that are looped over Bright yellow petticoats Gaiters of leather And pheasants' tail feathers In straw hats bewildering many A leathern bat There they haymake Cowers and whines in showers The dew in the dogskin bright flowers; Pumpkin and marrow And cucumber narrow Have grown through The spangled June hours Melons as dark as caves have for Their fountain waves Thickest gold honey And wrinkled as dark as Pan Or old Silenus, yet youthful as Venus Are gourds and the wrinkled figs Whence all the jewels ran Said QueenVenus, 'Silenus We'll settle between us The nymphs' disobedience, forestall With my bow and my quiver Each fresh evil liver: For I don't understand it at all!'