William Walton — Valse

Daisy and Lily Lazy and silly Walk by the shore of the wan grassy sea,- Talking once more 'neath a swan- Bosomed tree Rose castles Tourelles Those bustles Where swells Each foam-bell of ermine They roam and determine What fashions have been and what Fashions will be,- What tartan leaves born What Crinolines worn By Queen Thetis Pelisses Of tarlatine blue Like the thin Plaided leaves that the Castle crags grew Or velours d'Afrande: On the water-god's land Her hair seemed gold trees on the Honey-cell sand When the thickest gold spangles On deep water seen Were like twanging guitar and like Cold mandoline And the nymphs of great caves With hair like gold waves Of Venus, wore tarlatiine Louise and Charlottine (Borea's daughters) And the nymphs of deep waters The nymph Taglioni, Grisi the ondine Wear Plaided Victoria and thin Clementine Like the crinolined waterfalls; Wood-nymphs wear bonnets Shawls Elegant parasols Floating are seen The Amazones wear balzarine of Jonquille Besides the blond lace of a deep- Falling rill; Through glades like a nun They run from and shun The enormous and gold-rayed Rustling sun; And the nymphs of the fountains Descend from the mountains Like elegant willows On their deep barouche pillows In cashmere Alvandar, barege Isabelle Like bells of bright water from Clearest wood-well Our elegantes favouring Bonnets of blond The stars in their apiaries Sylphs in their aviaries Seeing them, spangle these And the sylphs fond From their aviaries fanned With each long fluid hand The manteaux espagnoles Mimic the waterfalls Over the long and the light summer land ... So Daisy and Lily Lazy and silly Walk by the shore of the wan grassy Sea Talking once more 'neath a swan- Bosomed tree Row Castles Tourelles Those bustles! Mourelles Of their shade in their train follow Ladies, how vain, - hollow, - Gone is the sweet swallow, - Gone, Philomel!"