Ode to a Butterfly

Does nectar grow less sweet with passing Time?
Your unrest causes winds to slow their pace
The beating of your wings in pantomime
Now paints your tale of ephemeral grace
Ignoble glutton, laying green to waste
But hiding dreams behind a devil's face
A treacherous wait, a caterpillar's haste
One day to be absolved of its foul crime
To savour long and deep, Redemption's taste

Then patient weaving till the world is sealed
And all of its travails are shunned by silk
In pale confines a soul entombed and healed
An infant feeding on Compassion's milk
Like Tutankhamen's crypt, a sleep of kings
Embracing pleasures of a different ilk
A prayer to solicit a gift of wings
A prowess yet unknown to be revealed
A promise of unbridled wanderings

And what became of that eternal thirst?
Full seven days of dancing on the breeze
The fleeting days too short to fear the worst
The heart too warm for lakes of lust to freeze
But now the beating of that heart is slow
Performing in the shadows of the trees
The age-old sacred rite of letting go
Oblivious to springtime's rich outburst
In tune with twilight's ever fading glow

And so you're tired of your resplendence!
As your mind spins another chrysalis
A shattered shell remains of what was once
A flowing fountain of untainted bliss
And so you choose to kiss the earth goodbye
A transcendental metamorphosis
To break the shackles of the deep blue sky
To taste Ambrosia and to steal a chance
The breathing of Existence to espy
 

Author's Note

Tutankhamen was an ancient Egyptian pharoah, or king. Egyptian kings were mummified and buried in burial chambers inside pyramids along with several of their valuable possessions.

Reviews

[Aleeya R]

This is absolutely beautiful. I read it multiple times in one sitting. It reminds me of John Keats' Ode to a Nightingale - one of my favorites, and I am guessing yours as well? Not only did you emulate his style of writing, but you took it and made it your own. I'm impressed with your use of meter (I still struggle with it, which is why I usually stick to free verse) and with the imagery you used to bring your poem to life. You possess incredible talent, and I do hope you keep writing - I am looking forward to reading more of your work!

[Augustus]

Thank you so much for your astute and generous review, Aleeya! Yes, I am a big fan of Keats, and shades of the characteristic melancholic tone of his poems seems to have made its way into mine. I struggled with meter myself for many years before I got the hang of it. But it was quite rewarding to get there eventually. Metered verse gives a different kind of pleasure from free verse. I've tried both and enjoy both. I'll look at your works soon. Thanks again!

[Aleeya R]

You're welcome! Yes, Keats' poems are lovely, I too am a fan. I agree, metered verse is pleasing to the ear, though difficult to write. Hopefully with time I will be able to produce a poem in meter. Until then, it's free verse for me - but I appreciate and enjoy reading all types of poetry. Anyway, can't wait to read more of your works! You're welcome again, take care!

[Catherine Frain]

This is a beautifully written poem. It is a clever way to bring in things from history into it, and it fits very well.

"Then patient weaving till the world is sealed
And all of its travails are shunned by silk
In pale confines a soul entombed and healed
An infant feeding on Compassion's milk
Like Tutankhamen's crypt, a sleep of kings
Embracing pleasures of a different ilk
A prayer to solicit a gift of wings
A prowess yet unknown to be revealed
A promise of unbridled wanderings"

This part is very well written, and one of the stanza's that stood out to me.

Overall, the poem is very a wonderful, beautiful poem.

[Augustus]

Thank you!

[Maskedthoughts]

This is just beautiful your imagery, connections everything! i like how the meaning of the poem goes so much further, beyond the words. Great job!

[Augustus]

Thank you so much! :)

[Hayley]

Wow, I absolutely loved this. It's so graceful and beautiful! I especially loved the line, "As your mind spins another chrysalis." I know it's simple and pertains directly to the butterfly, but it's perfect.
I definitely respect you as a writer, as I always will, but this just proves your talent.
It makes me miss my ancient writing style.
I like to delve into the meaning with my teeth a little too hard just because you don't see this style written often. I know how long it takes to write something like this.
All I can say is, great rhymes that aren't forced, wonderful and graceful meanings, and great ending. I think I'll just mull over this a while longer...

[Augustus]

Thank you so much Hayley! Wonderful to have you comment on my verse. :)

[Michael G. Smith]

A genius poem of analogies as you comparing king Tut to a butterfly. All the similarities you point out make such graceful sense.

[Augustus]

Thank you!

[Aethereal]

I enjoyed how you went through the different stages of a butterfly’s life in a philosophical way. This poem's classical style has an adorable cadence to it. My poem "First Love" is somewhat like this one, but with a different more modern rhyming structure.

[Augustus]

Thanks a lot! I'll read your works soon.

[Aethereal]

You're welcome!

[Dhaye]

As I read your poem, I remember the movie series "The Mummy" with Brendan Fraser as the lead actor.
Glad you have that author's note above, so I can fully relate.

To tell you honestly, I made an attempt in making a poem with iambic pentameter (a sonnet) last summer vacation but I surrendered. LOL. Making a sonnet is not an easy task so I decided to study more about it which is so hard for me to do with my busy schedule. Since writing is only a hobby, I want to do it to enjoy and not to pressure myself. So I just write with my own natural style. Perhaps next summer vacation, I can make one.

Going back to your poem, I enjoyed reading such rhyme scheme. Nice analogy of life and a butterfly's metamorphosis. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it's how I interpret it.

I can't say much but a salute to a brilliant poet like you.

[Augustus]

Thanks a lot for your kind words! Writing a sonnet is indeed difficult. I have some experience with them. I've attempted writing them since I was 15. But it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I really got the hang of them. What I have found with structured verse is that the body of the poem should become one with the soul of the poem. Only then does it become effective and natural. I think you should keep writing in your natural style and learn from experience. All the best!

[Dhaye]

You're welcome. :)

[David Lewis Paget]

This has a definite feel of eighteenth century verse, complex, philosophical, and intense. It's probably not the sort of thing that my twentieth century mind can get around too easily. Never a great reader of the classics, I tend toward modern simplicity in language, easy comprehension, storylines which are accessible to the modern reader. You have done an incredible job on this, and I salute you, but I feel you were born too late for this style to engage the modern mind.

[John A Raju]

a truly brilliant work, i cant review it as some of the others have, i have no idea of lambic pentameter and structured poetry and all, however it is a really impressive write up, superb stuff, keep it up

[Dinesh Sairam]

..Then patient weaving till the world is sealed
And all of its travails are shunned by silk

I can see why Abdul here loves this so much. Heavy diction and rhyme. It all seems so distant to me now. I've been immersed in Imagism so much, that I've lost touch with the Classics. This, for once, was a welcome sight. And to have used such a complicated rhyme scheme, you're undoubtedly talented.

Though, I have to say, I don't see why this 'ode' should be for a Butterfly. Maybe it has deeper implications. If it doesn't, then I don't see the connection here. The stanzas are, so to speak, general in sense. But this doesn't reduce the quality of the poem in any way.

Keep writing.

[Augustus]

Thanks Dinesh. The ode does have deeper implications. But it is unequivocally addressed to a butterfly. The only difference is, that rather than dwelling on the visual beauty of the butterfly, I have chalked out the stages of its life, at every stage drawing parallels with human life. The rhyme scheme is certainly complex, as it is in most classical odes, and I've explained my reason's for picking it in the response to the review by "The Mask".

[Abdul Aziz]

Haha, what can I say? Seriously, what can I say that hasn't already been said? Perhaps this poem deserves tears, but I but can only laugh in happiness, partly because of the brilliance of the poem, and partly because of a more personal vindication that structured poetry can hold its own against free verse any day. Questions of which kind of poetry is better become redundant because they are all suited to their purposes, as this poem is perfectly suited to its.

Coming to the poem per se, I would like to discuss this both as regards its form and its content. Has there been a precedent for this rhyme scheme? It feels both complex and yet natural. It moves the poem forward in gentle thrusts without ever seeming to rush. The presence of an unrhymed penultimate line in each stanza fortifies that feeling. The Iambic Pentameter, of course, is the de facto choice of meter for a poem like this. Perfectly suited to the mood, as it unfolds languorously, making reading the poem feel like a sip of coffee on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

The content, though at first glance appears to be simplistic, is actually mesmerizing as well. Before delving into the deeper levels of any poem, I think it is important to read the primary meaning as well. And I think it is beautiful and simple. The life cycle of a butterfly painted vividly, in broad brushstrokes and yet beautifully describing some intricacies of its life. Delving deeper, I think it might be drawing parallels to human life as well, even if you didn't intend it so. People drawing coccoons around themselves and sealing themselves off from the world.. That seems to be a common occurrence! And also, how amazing is it that you used Tutankhamen's tomb as an analogy for a butterfly's coccoon? Very amazing indeed.

Of special interest to me, though, is the last stanza. I can't for the life of me come up with such extremely splendid rhymes! It makes me feel like a Salieri to your Mozart! :) I think it is apt that you used the word metamorphosis, for I believe that this poem is your metamorphosis into a modern great! I hope to discuss more with you if I get to meet you in person, hopefully, on June 3.

I don't think I have any adjectives to describe this poem. So I'll just add this to my favourites and give it a 100

[Augustus]

Well well well! What do I say in reply, I wonder? :)
It is immensely satisfying when someone who understands structure and writes structured verse of the highest order pays you such lofty compliments. I haven't come across this rhyme scheme before. I used it for reasons that I have made clear in my response to the review by "The Mask". As a matter of fact, the penultimate line rhymes with lines 1 and 3. But that was done for the sake of completeness more than anything else. "Complex yet natural, you say"...And that "natural" part is really the Holy Grail in structured verse isn't it? How do you make something that is so overtly "engineered", look "natural"? I guess it depends on whether structure acts as a dam or a conduit to the flow of the poem.
The poem does have deeper levels of meaning, as you have surmised. I did want to draw parallels to various aspects of human life.
This poem is in some ways a milestone for me. It marks an important point in my learning curve. With "Ode on Age", I understood a particular structure. With "Ode to a Butterfly", I feel I have gained a deeper understanding of odes.
The Salieri-Mozart bit is flattering but inaccurate in my opinion. :P
Are you coming to Bangalore in June? We'll certainly meet if you are. It'll be great!

[Abdul Aziz]

I've got a call letter for interview for admission into Ph.D. research in Neuroscience at IISc, so yeah I'll be there :D

[Abdul Aziz]

I wonder how I missed that rhyme in the penultimate line. My bad.
I think whether a poem seems natural or contrived depends on how the poet thinks while writing it. The structure and semantics come together to make a good structured poem, as they have done here.
I used to wonder if Odes were pointless, just childish celebrations of phenomena. But I've come to realize that they do form a valuable part of formal poetry. They have their own rhythm and mood, which you have pinned here.

[Augustus]

You've echoed my sentiments about structure and soul of the poem. It's great that you'll be here for interviews! I'll definitely be in Bangalore at that time.