An ideal companion piece to Bartók's 'Contrasts’. The title derives from the French proverb se méfier de l'eau qui dort, meaning ‘be wary of the water which sleeps’, or, as we might say in English, 'still waters run deep'. The message, therefore, is to be careful, because things are seldom as they appear. In performance, the players should embrace the spirit of the water: overwhelming and sensuous.