To a Butterfly By William Wordsworth

WILLIAM WORDSWORTH (1770 - 1850) was an English poet who wrote on various topics, though a majority were about nature. 'The Prelude' is considered his best work. Wordsworth ws England's Poet Laureate a poet who is officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events from 1843 to 1850.

I,ve watched you now a full half-hour;
Self-poised upon that yellow flower
And, little Butterfly! indeed
I know not if you sleep or feed.
How motionless! - not frozen seas
More motionless! and then
What joy awaits you, when the breeze
Hath found you out among the trees,
And calls you forth again!

This plot of orchard-ground is ours;
My trees they are, my Sister's flowers;
Here rest your wings when they are weary;
Here lodge as in a sanctuary!
Come often to us, fear no wrong;
Sit near us on the bough!
We'll talk of sunshine and of song.
And summer days, when we were young;
Sweet childish days, that were as long
As twenty days are now.

1.
Choose words from the brackets and fill in words of your own to complete this paraphrase of the first stanza.
The poet sat for ______1______ watching a butterfly sitting on a _____2_____ flower. The butterfly was absolutely (still / quiet / hidden), (more / less / as) unmoving than / as ______3______. The poet observes that the butterfly moves again only when the _____4_____ blows. He thinks that the butterfly is (scared / joyful / surprised) that the breeze has found her among the (flowers / children / trees) and is ______5______ her.
2.
Write True of False.
1. The poet says that the orchard-ground is his and the butterfly's.
2. He invites the butterfly to use the ground as its home.
3. He promises the butterfly that it won't be mistreated.
4. The poet asks the butterfly to sit on the flowers as they talk.
3.
Why is the poet entranced by the butterfly?
4.
What is the poet unsure about as he watches the motionless butterfly? Why?
5.
"Here lodge as in a sanctuary'. What is the poet inviting the butterfly to do?
6.
What does the poet miss about his childhood days?

5 more answer(s) available.

Gem's English Reader 7

Ratna Sagar

Chapters

To a Butterfly

William Wordsworth

Available Answers