The Butterfly's Funeral A Sequel to the Butterfly's Ball and Grasshopper's Feast — Story, Setting & Ideas

A Procession of Mourners

The poem introduces a series of insect mourners, each with a specific role or characteristic. The Bee sings a 'funeral dirge,' the Beetle follows 'solemn as he,' and the Mole prepares the grave. The Dormouse is 'cold and forlorn,' the Gnat winds his 'shrill little horn,' and the Moth, grieving for 'the loss of a sister,' bends over the body and kisses it. These details create a vivid, orderly procession, with each insect contributing to the ritual. The Spider appears 'in his mourning so black' but is frightened away by the Glow-worm's fire—a moment of dark humor that breaks the solemnity. The Grub leaves his nut-shell and brings the Book-worm, who writes the epitaph. This section demonstrates how the poem uses specific insect behaviors (e.g., the Glow-worm's light, the Spider's web) to advance the narrative.

The Burial and the Epitaph

The burial is described in precise, almost mechanical terms: the corpse is embalmed 'at the set of the sun,' enclosed in a case spun by the Silk-worm, and placed in a coffin made of myrtle and jessamine. Six butterflies support the pall. The epitaph, written by the Book-worm, is a quatrain that echoes the opening lines: 'At this solemn spot, where the green rushes wave, / Here sadly we bent o'er the Butterfly's grave.' It promises that daisies and violets will bloom, and the lily will 'discover her bosom of snow.' The Grasshopper will sing 'under the leaf, in the evenings of spring.' The epitaph thus transforms the grave into a site of natural beauty and ongoing remembrance, softening the finality of death.

Structure and Repetition

The poem is built on repetition and variation. The opening line 'For the soul of the Banquet, the Butterfly's dead' is echoed in the epitaph's 'At this solemn spot, where the green rushes wave.' The phrase 'green rushes wave' appears in both the narrative and the epitaph, linking the two sections. The poem also repeats the image of the Grasshopper mourning: first in the second stanza, then in the final line of the epitaph. This structural symmetry gives the poem a circular feel, returning to the same images and sounds. The consistent meter and rhyme reinforce the sense of a formal, ritualistic procession, appropriate for a funeral.

The Role of the Book-worm

The Book-worm is a curious figure: he is led by the Grub, weeps for his 'poor neighbour's unfortunate doom,' and writes the epitaph. This self-referential detail—a worm associated with books composing the poem's final words—suggests a meta-literary layer. The Book-worm's epitaph is the only text within the poem that is explicitly attributed to a character, and it serves as the poem's conclusion. This device may imply that the entire poem is the Book-worm's composition, or at least that the act of writing is part of the mourning process. The Book-worm's presence also connects the poem to the physical book itself, as he is a creature that lives among pages.

Readers should note that the poem is a sequel, and its full effect may depend on familiarity with The Butterfly's Ball and Grasshopper's Feast. The text is short—only a few stanzas—and can be read in one sitting. Pay attention to the repeated phrases and the way the poem balances grief with natural imagery. The epitaph, in particular, rewards close reading as it condenses the poem's themes of loss and renewal.

That rainy afternoon, the butterfly’s solemn procession felt almost unbearably quiet, a hush after the ball’s clamor. It made me think of other small deaths we memorialize. Later, I found myself turning to The Trial and Execution of the Sparrow for Killing Cock Robin — Reading Notes, and the same gentle gravity seemed to linger there, unasked for.