The Dance

Heel and toe, heel and toe,     That is the song we sing;     Turn to your partner and curtsey low,     Balance and forward and swing.     Corners are draughty and meadows are white,     This is the game for a winter's night.     Hands around, hands around,     Trip it, and not too slow;     Clear is the fiddle and sweet its sound,     Keep the girls' cheeks aglow.     Still let your movements be dainty and light,     This is the game for a winter's night.     Back to back, back to back,     Turn to your place again;     Never let lightness nor nimbleness lack,     Either in maidens or men.     Time hasteth ever, beware of its flight,     Oh, what a game for a winter's night!     Slower now, slower now,     Softer the music sighs;     Look, there are beads on your partner's brow     Though there be light in her eyes.     Lead her away and her grace requite,     So goes the game on a winter's night.