{"id":27629,"date":"2017-08-07T22:00:34","date_gmt":"2017-08-07T20:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=27629"},"modified":"2017-11-06T15:27:09","modified_gmt":"2017-11-06T14:27:09","slug":"les-papillons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/les-papillons\/","title":{"rendered":"Les Papillons"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve recently had a loss. When someone you love dies, it is easy to see (or want to see) signs around you that show your loved one is still with you. There can be many signs that are specific to your culture. For example, in American culture, seeing a red cardinal is often interpreted as a sign that a lost loved one is visiting you. In both American and French culture, seeing a butterfly can also signify that your loved one is near.<\/p>\n

In French, a butterfly is called\u00a0un papillon.\u00a0<\/em>The word\u00a0papillon\u00a0<\/em>comes from the Latin\u00a0papilio<\/em>, which means “butterfly or moth.”\u00a0Papillon\u00a0<\/em>can also be used to describe someone who is flighty, brilliant, and all over the place. Finally,\u00a0papillon\u00a0<\/em>in French also refers to a bowtie or a “butterfly” knot.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There are many beautiful poems about butterflies in French, as the transformation and beauty of this insect do \u00a0seem to capture the imagination of poets and writers. Here’s the first several verses of a poem by writer G\u00e9rard de Nerval, entitled “Les Papillons”:<\/p>\n

De toutes les belles choses
\nQui nous manquent en hiver,
\nQu\u2019aimez\u2013vous mieux? \u2014 Mois, les roses;
\n\u2014 Moi, l\u2019aspect d\u2019un beau pr\u00e9 vert;
\n\u2014 Moi, la moisson blondissante;
\nChevelure des sillons;
\n\u2014 Moi, le rossignol qui chante;
\n\u2014 Et moi, les beaux papillons!<\/p>\n

Le papillon, fleur sans tige,
\nQui voltige,
\nQue l\u2019on cueille en un r\u00e9seau;
\nDans la nature infinie,
\nHarmonie,
\nEntre la plante et l\u2019oiseau!\u2026<\/p>\n

Quand revient l\u2019\u00e9t\u00e9 superbe,
\nJe m\u2019en vais au bois tout seul:
\nJe m\u2019\u00e9tends dans la grande herbe,
\nPerdu dans ce vert linceul.
\nSur ma t\u00eate renvers\u00e9e,
\nL\u00e0, chacun d\u2019eux \u00e0 son tour,
\nPasse comme une pens\u00e9e
\nDe po\u00e9sie ou d\u2019amour!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Butterflies (as translated by Timothy Ad\u00e8s)<\/p>\n

Of all the fine treasure
\nThat winter forecloses,
\nWhat gives the most pleasure?
\n\u2014 For me, I say roses;
\n\u2014 For me, fair green meadows;
\n\u2014 The ripening harvest,
\nBlonde tress of the furrows;
\n\u2014 Nightingale\u2019s melodies;
\n\u2014 For me, brilliant butterflies!<\/p>\n

Butterfly, untethered flower,
\nLeaping and cavorting, yet
\nCaptured in a cruel net.
\nNature\u2019s world, infinity:
\nBud and bird in unity!<\/p>\n

When proud summer comes to pass,
\nI go lonely to the wood.
\nThere I lie in tallest grass,
\nLose myself in the green shroud:
\nWatch above my upturned head
\nEvery one of them go by.
\nThoughts of love, of poetry!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To read more of this beautiful poem, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Do you know of any other French poems or quotes about butterflies? Feel free to share them below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

I’ve recently had a loss. When someone you love dies, it is easy to see (or want to see) signs around you that show your loved one is still with you. There can be many signs that are specific to your culture. For example, in American culture, seeing a red cardinal is often interpreted as…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":123,"featured_media":29262,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[408503,228987,501894,10256,501895],"class_list":["post-27629","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-free-french-lesson","tag-french-literature","tag-french-poems","tag-papillon","tag-papillons"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t