Mischievous Joy, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Mischievous Joy of a butterfly
Image : Nigel Borrington
Mischievous Joy
Poem by : Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
AS a butterfly renew’d,
When in life I breath’d my last,
To the spots my flight I wing,
Scenes of heav’nly rapture past,
Over meadows, to the spring,
Round the hill, and through the wood.
Soon a tender pair I spy,
And I look down from my seat
On the beauteous maiden’s head–
When embodied there I meet
All I lost as soon as dead,
Happy as before am I.
Him she clasps with silent smile,
And his mouth the hour improves,
Sent by kindly Deities;
First from breast to mouth it roves,
Then from mouth to hands it flies,
And I round him sport the while.
And she sees me hov’ring near;
Trembling at her lovers rapture,
Up she springs–I fly away,
“Dearest! let’s the insect capture
Come! I long to make my prey
Yonder pretty little dear!”
Nigel Borrington 
Wonderful. I was drawn to Goethe (along with the other Sturm und Drang Romantics) as a young man and am returning to him as I approach old age. Fabulous picture.
June 9, 2015 at 10:22 am
Hello Simon 🙂 🙂
The pleasure of age and time to read again 🙂 🙂 , – don’t tell anyone HAHAHA !!!
Thank you , very pleased you enjoyed this post 🙂 🙂
June 9, 2015 at 10:28 am
Perfect match of poetry and image.
June 10, 2015 at 9:43 am
Hello 🙂 🙂
Thank you 🙂 very pleased you enjoyed 🙂
June 10, 2015 at 2:53 pm