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    Poetry of Fables, Fairies, and Fauna Fables, Fairies, and Fauna    

Lesson 62: A Chrysalis

by Mary Emily Bradley

Performer: Librivox - Kara Shallenberg


Note: This poem addresses the death of a child in the third and fourth verses.



My little Mädchen found one day

A curious something in her play,

That was not fruit, nor flower, nor seed;

It was not anything that grew,

Or crept, or climbed, or swam, or flew;

Had neither legs nor wings, indeed;

And yet she was not sure, she said,

Whether it was alive or dead.



She brought it in her tiny hand

To see if I would understand,

And wondered when I made reply,

"You've found a baby butterfly."

"A butterfly is not like this,"

With doubtful look she answered me.

So then I told her what would be

Someday within the chrysalis:

How, slowly, in the dull brown thing

Now still as death, a spotted wing,

And then another, would unfold,

Till from the empty shell would fly

A pretty creature, by and by,

All radiant in blue and gold.



"And will it, truly?" questioned she-

Her laughing lips and eager eyes

All in a sparkle of surprise-

"And shall your little Mädchen see?"

"She shall!" I said. How could I tell

That ere the worm within its shell

Its gauzy, splendid wings had spread,

My little Mädchen would be dead?



Today the butterfly has flown,-

She was not here to see it fly,-

And sorrowing I wonder why

The empty shell is mine alone.

Perhaps the secret lies in this:

I too had found a chrysalis,

And Death that robbed me of delight

Was but the radiant creature's flight!

    Poetry of Fables, Fairies, and Fauna Fables, Fairies, and Fauna    

Lesson 62: A Chrysalis

by Mary Emily Bradley

Performer: Librivox - Kara Shallenberg

Directions

Study the poem for one week.

Over the week:

  • Read or listen to the poem.
  • Review the synopsis.
  • Complete the enrichment activities.
  • Study the review questions.

Synopsis

A little girl finds a chrysalis and the narrator explains a beautiful butterfly will emerge. The little girl dies before the butterfly emerges. When the butterfly sheds its cocoon and flies away, the narrator ponders that like the butterfly, the little girl may have shed her shell to become something even more beautiful.

Vocabulary

Mädchen: Girl.
Doubtful: Feeling uncertain about something.
Chrysalis: Baby butterfly or moth that is enclosed in a hard shell; Cocoon.
Shell: A hard protective outer case.
Gauzy: Thin and allowing light, but not detailed images, to pass through.
Sorrowing: Feeling or displaying deep distress.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Recite the Title, the Poet's Name, and the Poem

  • Each day this week, recite aloud the title of the poem, the name of the poet, and the poem. Instructors may need to prompt children line-by-line.

Activity 2: Study the Poem's Companion Painting

  • Study the painting below, and describe it in your own words.

Find the following in the companion painting:

  • Butterflies (2)
  • Green Vegetation
  • Black Strokes of Color
  • White Strokes of Color
  • Yellow Strokes of Color
  • Green Strokes of Color

Activity 3: Narrate the Poem

  • After reading or listening to each verse of the poem, narrate the verse events aloud using your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Poem   

  • Click the crayon above, and complete page 65 of 'Poetry Coloring Pages for First Grade.'

Review

Question 1

What is the title of the poem?
1 / 4

Answer 1

The title of the poem is 'A Chrysalis
1 / 4

Question 2

What happens in the poem?
2 / 4

Answer 2

Both a butterfly and a little girl shed their chrysalises.
2 / 4

Question 3

Where does the poem take place?
3 / 4

Answer 3

The poem takes place outdoors, perhaps in a garden.
3 / 4

Question 4

Who are the characters in the poem?
4 / 4

Answer 4

The narrator, Mädchen, and the butterfly.
4 / 4

  1. What is the title of the poem? The title of the poem is 'A Chrysalis
  2. What happens in the poem? Both a butterfly and a little girl shed their chrysalises.
  3. Where does the poem take place? The poem takes place outdoors, perhaps in a garden.
  4. Who are the characters in the poem? The narrator, Mädchen, and the butterfly.

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