Reverie
Dance before a Fountain
Nicolas Lancret (French, 1690 - 1743)
Music pairing: George Frideric Handel - Water Music, Suite No. 3, HWV 350: XIX [Menuet 2]
At a party in the lush forest deep,
By the water cascading teases speak.
Our gowns and demeanor glow with gaiety;
Natural beauty infused in man-made scene.
In the eyes of the boys we of stunning quality;
Our designs unique but every gaze inviting.
Waists dainty and bosoms welcoming;
A dash of bloom with passion rushing.
We’ve practiced in front of the mirror,
Techniques and gestures to show no care.
‘Tis all fun and games in the air,
Waiting for the signal of mutual desire.
We know frozen hearts too well -
Thus non-committal prose we tell.
We seek not intelligence or beliefs equal,
As earthly delights indulge after all.
The fountain before flow not the stream of love,
But a reminder of youth in passing lust.
Immerse in conversations light and superficial,
Twilight’s entangle on the table.
A face pretty and a form simple,
The requirements for entertainment ample.
Nothing less, nothing more to mingle,
No strings attached and none to quibble.
Let our bodies dance in light and night,
Our hearts somewhere else instead.
These carnal senses but one way to forget,
We’re still hanging by a thread.