A fuzzy fellow, without feet, 1
Yet doth exceeding run!
Of velvet, is his Countenance,
And his Complexion, dun!
Sometime, he dwelleth in the grass! 5
Sometime, upon a bough,
From which he doth descend in plush
Upon the Passer-by!
All this in summer. 9
But when winds alarm the Forest Folk,
He taketh Damask Residence－
And struts in sewing silk!
Then, finer than a Lady, 13
Emerges in the spring!
A Feather on each shoulder!
You'd scarce recognize him!
By Men, yclept Caterpillar! 17
By me! But who am I,
To tell the pretty secret
Of the Butterfly!
Yet doth exceeding run!
Of velvet, is his Countenance,
And his Complexion, dun!
Sometime, he dwelleth in the grass! 5
Sometime, upon a bough,
From which he doth descend in plush
Upon the Passer-by!
All this in summer. 9
But when winds alarm the Forest Folk,
He taketh Damask Residence－
And struts in sewing silk!
Then, finer than a Lady, 13
Emerges in the spring!
A Feather on each shoulder!
You'd scarce recognize him!
By Men, yclept Caterpillar! 17
By me! But who am I,
To tell the pretty secret
Of the Butterfly!
(F.171/J.173)
[1-20]:: This poem talks about the heroic outlaw Robin Hood, a popular folk figure lived with his merry men in Sherwood Forest.
[1] fuzzy:: imprecisely defined; confused, vague; inexact in thought or expression (OED 3b). without feet:: fuzzy without feet describes how Robin Hood hides in the woods.
[7, 8] descend in plush Upon the Passer-by:: what Robin Hood does sometimes.
[10] the Forest Folk:: a hint on Robin Hood.
[17] Caterpillar:: a rapacious person; an extortioner; one who preys upon society (OED 2).
[19, 20] secret, Butterfly:: a transformation like butterfly.