-

-
Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Wednesday Vignette: So Brief a Life

Wednesday Vignette is hosted by Anna at Flutter and Hum.  Click here to see what's caught her eye and mind this week and to find links to posts of other participating bloggers.


A lifespan of only six to fourteen days, ts short to begin with but, it appears that this individual didn't make it that long.  It's interesting that I found this a bit sad but don't feel the same way upon seeing flies in spider webs.

Lines from Christina Rossetti's poem "All Flesh is Grass" came to mind.

"So brief a life, and then an endless life
Or endless death;
So brief a life, then endless peace or
strife;
Whoso considereth
How man but like a flower
Or shoot of grass
Blooms an hour,
May well sigh, 'Alas!'

So brief a life, and then an endless grief
Or endless joy;
So brief a life, then ruin or relief;
What solace, what annoy
Of Time needs dwelling on?
It is, it was,
It is done,
While we sigh, 'Alas!'

22 comments:

  1. Have to agree that one hates to see this kind of scene. And those 19th C. Brits sure know how to talk about death and grief.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They sure talked about it a lot and seemed very interested in death.

      Delete
  2. I saw a rather beat up Swallowtail just the other day, and it gave me the same feeling of sadness. They are such beautiful creatures! Very suitable poem... Through the eyes of a tortoise, our piddly little human lives are probably rather fleeting, too. ~Anna K

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lifetimes are all a matter of perspective, aren't they?

      Delete
  3. Poor ravaged creature. I saw one rather beat up at the Bellevue Botanical Garden last week, it does make you sad. Such a perfect poem to go with the image.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Why don't we feel as bad for flies caught in webs? We like pretty things, I guess.

      Delete
  4. But from the spider perspective, this was the equivalent of a huge banana split sundae with sparklers arriving at the table!

    To me it's sadder (?) when I read about butterflies or moths that don't eat -- they don't stay alive long enough to need sustenance.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right, the spider must have been thrilled but what to do with those inedible wings?
      That is sad, just got to fly and then boom, dead. A good lesson for us all to enjoy every moment.

      Delete
  5. I suppose we need to step back and meditate on the complexities of the cycle of life but it is indeed sad to see beauty lost in the embrace of one of nature's predators.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe the butterfly was close to death anyway. Off to meditate...

      Delete
  6. A perfect poem to go with this post. Life is all too fleeting!

    ReplyDelete
  7. A beautiful poem to go with a melancholy photo. Butterfly did have a previous life as a caterpillar involving nonstop gorging on favorite food...that's something, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Alas, poor butterfly. We knew you well, but not long enough.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Alas. So fleeting. This makes me even more positive that I shouldn't grow daylilies.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. On the other hand, the fleeting beauty of a single daylily makes it even more precious.

      Delete
  10. Yes, nature can be cruel. Do we celebrate the brief beauty or lament the loss of the magical winged creature? I saw a recently perished monarch in a parking lot the other day, and it made me sad. But I like Hoover Boo's perspective.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hoover Boo does have a good point as do you. Celebrating the brief beauty is a good thing.

      Delete
  11. I understand your questioning th sadness factor. I found a dead beetle in a spider’s web yesterday and all I felt was curiosity.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What makes a butterfly more beautiful or special than a beetle in our eye? Interesting indeed.

      Delete

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.