The Butterfly's Ball Lyrics
The insects and small animals of the wood are invited to a party under an old oak tree. The beetle, the bee, the snail, the mole and the glow-worm all come, and the snail tries to dance.
The Butterfly's Ball
Come, take up your hats, and away let us haste
To the Butterfly's ball, and the Grasshopper's feast;
The trumpeter, Gad-fly, has summoned the crew,
And the revels are now only waiting for you.
On the smooth-shaven grass, by the side of a wood,
Beneath a broad oak which for ages had stood,
See the children of earth, and the tenants of air,
To an evening's amusement together repair.
And there came the Beetle, so blind and so black,
Who carried the Emmet, his friend, on his back;
And there came the Gnat and the Dragon-fly too,
With all their relations, green, orange, and blue.
And there came the Moth, with her plumage of down,
And the Hornet with jacket of yellow and brown;
And with him the Wasp, his companion, did bring;
But they promised that evening to lay by their sting.
Then the sly little Dormouse peeped out of his hole,
And led to the feast his blind cousin the Mole;
And the Snail, with her horns peeping out of her shell,
Came, fatigued with the distance, the length of an ell.
A mushroom the table, and on it was spread
A water-dock leaf, which their table-cloth made.
The viands were various, to each of their taste,
And the Bee brought the honey to sweeten the feast.
With steps most majestic the Snail did advance,
And he promised the gazers a minuet to dance;
But they all laughed so loud that he drew in his head,
And went in his own little chamber to bed.
Then, as evening gave way to the shadows of night,
Their watchman, the Glow-worm, come out with his light.
So home let us hasten, while yet we can see,
For no watchman is waiting for you or for me.
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-butterflys-ball/
- Type
- Animal Rhymes
- Tune
- Spoken poem
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
What Does The Butterfly's Ball Mean?
A trumpeting gad-fly (a horsefly) calls everyone to the party. The guests arrive one by one: the beetle carrying his friend the emmet (an old word for an ant), the gnat and dragonfly, the moth, and the hornet and wasp, who promise to keep their stings to themselves for the night. A mushroom is the table and a dock leaf the tablecloth. The viands (food) suit every taste, and the bee brings honey.
The best moment is the snail's: he offers to dance a minuet, a slow, stately dance, and everyone laughs so hard that he pulls his head into his shell and goes to bed. An ell is an old measure for cloth, a little over a yard, which is a long trip for a snail. At night the glow-worm lights the way home.
History and Origin
William Roscoe, a writer from Liverpool, wrote the poem for his young son Robert. It was printed in 1806 and came out as a small picture book in 1807, when it became a best seller and inspired many copycat animal party poems. Andrew Lang included it in The Nursery Rhyme Book (1897), the version shown here.
Learning Activities
- Guest list: make a list of every creature that comes to the party and draw each one.
- Bug hunt: look under leaves and logs in the garden or park and see how many party guests you can spot.
- Snail dance: act out the snail's slow minuet, then hide inside your shell when everyone laughs.