Nature Inspirations for October 2020 include: Nature Poem: Butterfly, D. H. Lawrence (1885 -1930) and Nature Painting: Erminia Among the Shepherds, Domenichino (1622)

Nature Poem

Butterfly

D. H. Lawrence (1885 -1930)

Butterfly, the wind blows sea-ward, strong beyond the garden wall!

Butterfly, why do you settle on my shoe, and sip the dirt on my shoe,

Lifting your veined wings, lifting them? big white butterfly!

Already it is October, and the wind blows strong to the sea

from the hills where snow must have fallen, the wind is polished with

 snow.

Here in the garden, with red geraniums, it is warm, it is warm

but the wind blows strong to sea-ward, white butterfly, content on 

 my shoe!

Will you go, will you go from my warm house?

Will you climb on your big soft wings, black-dotted,

as up an invisible rainbow, an arch

till the wind slides you sheer from the arch-crest

and in a strange level fluttering you go out to sea-ward, white speck!

Farewell, farewell, lost soul!

you have melted in the crystalline distance,

it is enough! I saw you vanish into air!

Nature Painting

Erminia Among the Shepherds, Domenichino, 1622