First dance
Jules Massenet
Marking time
to the good old familiar tunes,
the little girl dances
with slender gestures.
Leaping hither and thither,
always graceful,
and yet unembarrassed
by this new game.
Her foot slides or flees
over the pale parquet.
Her little finger coyly lifts
the hem of her dress.
Five years old! And no lessons!
How clever!
How much
the little lady!
Proudly she arches her back
and poses for you,
and says things
from the corner of her eye.
"Look at me," says she.
"Watch me turn and smile.
I'm charming,
and how I love to be admired!
I like it when people notice
my dawny-pink skin,
my white brow,
as yet unclouded by care,
my gleaming clouds
of spun-gold hair.
I love it when people
admire all of me."
And this little snip,
from the depths of her soul,
wants everybody "to think she's pretty".
Oh, little girl! Oh, woman!