The Caterpillar
THE CATERPILLAR by ROBERT GRAVES
Under this loop of honeysuckle,
A creeping, coloured caterpillar,
I gnaw the fresh green hawthorn spray,
I nibble it leaf by leaf away.
Down beneath grow dandelions,
Daisies, old-man's-looking-glasses;
Rooks flap croaking across the lane.
I eat and swallow and eat again.
Here come raindrops helter-skelter;
I munch and nibble unregarding:
Hawthorn leaves are juicy and firm.
I'll mind my business: I'm a good worm.
When I'm old, tired, melancholy,
I'll build a leaf-green mausoleum
Close by, here on this lovely spray,
And die and dream the ages away.
Some say worms win resurrection,
With white wings beating flitter-flutter,
But wings or a sound sleep, why should I care?
Either way I'll not miss my share.
Under this loop of honeysuckle,
A hungry, hairy caterpillar,
I crawl on my high and swinging seat,
And eat, eat, eat---as one ought to eat.
| Title |
The Caterpillar
|
|---|---|
| Author |
Graves, Robert (1895-1985)
|
| Item date |
(1995, 1997, 1999)
|
| Content | |
| Copyright |
The Robert Graves Copyright Trust
|
| Digital repository | |
| Repository name |
ProQuest
|
| Repository address URL | |
| First line |
Under this loop of honeysuckle,
|
| Publication source |
Robert Graves Complete Poems: Volumes 1 - 3
|
| Publication editor |
Graves, Beryl and Ward, Dunstan
|
| Publishers |
Carcanet
|
| Publication place |
Manchester
|
Collection
Citation
“The Caterpillar,” by Graves, Robert (1895-1985). The Robert Graves Copyright Trust via First World War Poetry Digital Archive, accessed May 15, 2024, http://ww1lit.nsms.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/3391.
Permitted Use
This item is available for non-commercial educational use under the terms of the Jisc Model Licence. Further details available at: http://ww1lit.nsms.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/permitteduse
