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''The Saucy Arethusa'' is a nautical song (Roud # 12675) which, although usually considered 'traditional', has been attributed to 'Prince Hoare'(), a comic opera librettist, as part of a "musical entertainment" titled The Lock and Key, performed at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in 1796. The melody to the song has been wrongly attributed to William Shield, who was the musical arranger of The Lock and Key. It is more rightfully known as a piece by the Irish harper and composer Turlough O'Carolan called "Miss MacDermott" or "The Princess Royal" 〔http://www.jstor.org/stable/3363372 The Musical Times and Singing Class Circular, Volume 35, No 620, Oct 1 1894: New Lights upon Old Tunes. "The Arethusa".〕 The Arethusa of the title is a frigate of the Royal Navy, named ''HMS Arethusa'', which was captured from the French Navy in 1759. According to Greek mythology, the nymph Arethusa, for whom the ship was named, was transformed by Artemis into a fountain. The song chronicles an engagement in the English Channel on June 17 1778 between the Arethusa and the French frigate, ''Belle Poule''.. It opens :''Come all ye jolly sailors bold'' :''Whose hearts are cast in honour's mould'' :''While English glory I unfold'' :''Hurrah for the Arethusa'' :''She is a frigate tight and brave'' :''As ever stemmed the dashing wave'' :''Her men are staunch to their favorite launch'' :''And when the foe shall meet our fire'' :''Sooner than strike we'll all expire'' :''On board of the Arethusa'' :Twas with the spring fleet she went out'' :''The English Channel to cruise about'' :''When four French sail in show so stout'' :''Bore down on the Arethusa'' When Sir Henry Wood wrote his ''Fantasia on British Sea Songs'' in 1905 a version of this song became the third movement. This song and the story of the ship is also the basis of a song by The Decemberists entitled "Shanty for the Arethusa". ==External links== * (Full lyric ) * (The Lock and Key ) 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Saucy Arethusa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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