I’d Be A Butterfly
Yellow paste Tassie to mimic citrine
Imagery of a butterfly with text that reads ‘I’d be a’
This seal is reference to the classic poem by Thomas Haynes Bayly (13 October 1797 – 22 April 1839) which became best known when it was set to music and graduated to the heady heights of songhall favourite:
—Where roses and lilies and violets meet;
Roving for ever from flower to flower,
—And kissing all buds that are pretty and sweet!
I’d never languish for wealth, or for power,
—I’d never sigh to see slaves at my feet:
I’d be a Butterfly born in a bower,
—Kissing all buds that are pretty and sweet.O could I pilfer the wand of a fairy,
—I’d have a pair of those beautiful wings;
Their summer days’ ramble is sportive and airy,
—They sleep in a rose when the nightingale sings.
Those who have wealth must be watchful and wary;
—Power, alas! naught but misery brings!
I’d be a Butterfly, sportive and airy,
—Rocked in a rose when the nightingale sings!
What, though you tell me each gay little rover
—Shrinks from the breath of the first autumn day:
Surely ’tis better when summer is over
—To die when all fair things are fading away.
Some in life’s winter may toil to discover
—Means of procuring a weary delay—
I’d be a butterfly; living, a rover,
—Dying when fair things are fading away!
Why we love it
Who wouldn’t be a butterfly? Flitting from flower to flower in glorious technicolour or floating diaphanously on the breeze. Attracting gasps of admiration and delight wherever you roam. Bringing joy and happiness.
Ok, we know it’s not literally possible to be a butterfly (clip on wings and glitter notwithstanding), but why not adapt its outlook on life? Accentuate the positive. Waft a little. Wear bright colours. Revel in the attention you attract. Accept rather than detract compliments.
Cut yourself some slack.
Butterflies understand life is short (or perhaps they don’t, who knows, but let’s pretend they do for the sake of the metaphor). Too short to waste time dwelling on all the crap out there. Make like a butterfly and take time out to frisk and flutter. It won’t make your troubles disappear, but it will make you forget them, if only for a little time. Nurture that feeling.
Additional information
| Era | Victorian |
|---|---|
| Seal material | Paste |
| Seal colour | Yellow |
| Seal shape | North south rounded rectangle |
| Dimensions | 16 x 13 x 4mm |
| Condition | Excellent antique condition |
