FABLE VII
by Unknown · from Favourite Fables in Prose and Verse
Adapted Version
A pretty Butterfly sat on a red rose. Its wings were big and bright. They were blue, black, and gold. The Butterfly felt very special. It was new. It was very proud. It looked at its nice wings.
The Butterfly looked down. It saw a Snail on the grass. The Snail moved very slowly. It had a shell on its back. The Butterfly did not know the Snail.
The Butterfly spoke loudly. It spoke to The Gardener. The Gardener worked in the garden. The Butterfly was very bossy. It did not like the Snail. It complained about the Snail.
"Why work so hard?" asked The Butterfly. "This bad bug eats plants. The Snail eats our good food. It eats the peaches. It eats the plums. Why is it here?"
"Take away the Snail!" said The Butterfly. "Make it go away now. It makes a big mess. Your garden will be clean. Please take it away."
The Snail heard the mean words. It felt angry. "You are very proud!" said The Snail. "You are too proud. You speak with a mean voice. This is not good."
"I know your old life," said The Snail. "I would keep it a secret. But you said mean words. You were very small once. I know your past."
"Nine days ago, you were a bug," said The Snail. "You were a caterpillar. You crawled slowly on the ground. You made a dirty thread. You were not pretty then."
"I am a Snail," said The Snail. "I was born a Snail. I will always be a Snail. This is my life. I am happy to be a Snail."
"What is a Butterfly?" asked The Snail. "It is a caterpillar with wings. All your kind were caterpillars. They all crawled slowly. Do not forget this."
The Butterfly was quiet. The Snail was right. It is good to know your past. Do not be proud. Do not be mean to others. Always be kind.
Original Story
FABLE VII.
THE BUTTERFLY AND THE SNAIL.
As in the sunshine of the morn,
A Butterfly, but newly born,
Sat proudly perking on a rose,
With pert conceit his bosom glows;
His wings, all glorious to behold,
Bedropt with azure, jet and gold,
Wide he displays; the spangled dew
Reflects his eyes, and various hue.
His now forgotten friend, a Snail,
Beneath his house, with slimy trail,
Crawls o'er the grass; whom, when he spies,
In wrath he to the gardener cries:
"What means yon peasant's daily toil,
From choaking weeds to rid the soil?
Why wake you to the morning's care?
Why with new arts correct the year?
Why glows the peach with crimson hue?
And why the plum's inviting blue?
Were they to feast his taste designed,
That vermin, of voracious kind?
Crush, then, the slow, the pilf'ring race;
So purge thy garden from disgrace."
"What arrogance!" the Snail replied;
"How insolent is upstart pride!
Hadst thou not thus, with insult vain,
Provoked my patience to complain,
I had concealed thy meaner birth,
Nor traced thee to the scum of earth:
For, scarce nine suns have wak'd the hours,
To swell the fruit, and paint the flowers,
Since I thy humbler life surveyed,
In base, in sordid guise arrayed;
A hideous insect, vile, unclean,
You dragg'd a slow and noisome train;
And from your spider-bowels drew
Foul film, and spun the dirty clue.
I own my humble life, good friend;
Snail was I born, and Snail shall end.
And what's a Butterfly? At best,
He's but a Caterpillar, dress'd;
And all thy race (a numerous seed)
Shall prove of Caterpillar breed."
MORAL.
All upstarts, insolent in place,
Remind us of their vulgar race.
Story DNA
Moral
Those who rise in status and become arrogant often reveal their humble origins through their insolent behavior.
Plot Summary
A newly emerged Butterfly, proud of its beautiful wings, sits on a rose, having forgotten its humble past. It spots its former friend, a Snail, and arrogantly demands the gardener crush it as a pest. The Snail, provoked by the Butterfly's insolence, reminds the Butterfly that only nine days prior, it was a 'hideous insect' and a 'Caterpillar'. The Snail asserts its consistent identity while exposing the Butterfly's 'meaner birth', concluding that a Butterfly is merely a 'Caterpillar, dress'd', thus delivering a moral lesson about upstart pride.
Themes
Emotional Arc
pride to exposure
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Fables were a popular form of moral instruction, often featuring anthropomorphic animals, prevalent in various cultures, including 18th-century England where this specific fable likely originated.
Plot Beats (11)
- A newly born Butterfly, with glorious wings, sits proudly on a rose, full of self-importance.
- The Butterfly spots its old friend, a Snail, crawling on the grass below.
- The Butterfly, in a fit of arrogance, calls out to the gardener, complaining about the Snail.
- It questions the gardener's toil if such 'vermin' are allowed to exist and consume the garden's bounty.
- The Butterfly demands that the gardener crush the Snail to rid the garden of 'disgrace'.
- The Snail, angered by the Butterfly's insolence, responds, calling out its 'upstart pride'.
- The Snail reveals that it would have kept the Butterfly's 'meaner birth' a secret if not for the provocation.
- The Snail reminds the Butterfly that only nine days ago, it was a 'hideous insect', a 'Caterpillar', dragging a 'slow and noisome train'.
- The Snail states that it was born a Snail and will die a Snail, embracing its humble identity.
- The Snail concludes by asserting that a Butterfly is merely a 'Caterpillar, dress'd', and all its kind originate from caterpillars.
- The fable ends with a direct moral about upstarts revealing their vulgar race through insolence.
Characters
The Butterfly
A creature of delicate build, with a small, slender body. Its wings are the most prominent feature, large and expansive, covered in a vibrant pattern of azure (blue), jet (black), and gold, appearing spangled and reflective with dew. It is light and airy in its movements.
Attire: Its wings serve as its 'clothing,' displaying natural patterns of azure, jet, and gold, resembling a rich, patterned cloak.
Wants: To maintain its perceived superior status and beauty, and to distance itself from its humble origins.
Flaw: Arrogance and forgetfulness of its past, which makes it vulnerable to the Snail's truthful retort.
Does not show an arc within the fable; remains arrogant and is exposed for its 'upstart pride' rather than changing.
Proud, conceited, arrogant, insolent, disdainful, forgetful of its past.
The Snail
A slow-moving creature with a soft, slimy body that leaves a trail. It carries its spiral shell on its back, which serves as its 'house.' Its body is likely a muted, earthy color, contrasting with the Butterfly's vibrancy.
Attire: Its natural spiral shell, which is its 'house,' is its defining feature, likely a natural earthy tone.
Wants: To live its life peacefully, and when provoked, to defend its dignity and expose hypocrisy.
Flaw: Its slow pace and perceived 'lowly' status make it an easy target for the Butterfly's scorn.
Does not change, but serves as the voice of reason and truth, exposing the Butterfly's hypocrisy.
Humble, patient (until provoked), observant, truthful, resilient, possesses a strong sense of self-identity.
The Gardener
A human engaged in daily toil, working to maintain a garden. Implied to be strong and diligent from his work.
Attire: Practical, sturdy clothing suitable for manual labor in a garden, such as a simple tunic or shirt and trousers made of durable fabric, possibly with an apron or tools belt.
Wants: To maintain a beautiful and productive garden, free from 'choaking weeds' and 'vermin.'
Flaw: Not applicable; he is a background character.
No arc; serves as a silent figure to whom the Butterfly appeals.
Diligent, caring for his garden, hardworking.
Locations
Rose Bush in a Garden
A rose bush with a newly bloomed rose, glistening with spangled dew under the morning sun. The garden is well-tended, with evidence of a gardener's toil to remove choking weeds and cultivate fruit trees.
Mood: Initially vibrant and proud, then shifts to tense and confrontational due to the Butterfly's arrogance.
The Butterfly, newly born, proudly displays its wings on a rose, then spots the Snail and begins to insult him, leading to their confrontation.
Garden Grass
The ground level of a well-maintained garden, covered in grass, where a Snail with a slimy trail slowly crawls beneath its shell.
Mood: Initially peaceful and unassuming for the Snail, then becomes a place of verbal defense and retort.
The Snail is crawling on the grass when it is spotted and insulted by the Butterfly, prompting the Snail's indignant reply.