A Fuzzy Fellow, Without Feet
poem 173
A fuzzy fellow, without feet, Yet doth exceeding run! Of velvet, is his Countenance, And his Complexion, dun! Sometime, he dwelleth in the grass! Sometime, upon a bough, From which he doth descend in plush Upon the Passer-by! All this in summer. But when winds alarm the Forest Folk, He taketh Damask Residence And struts in sewing silk! Then, finer than a Lady, Emerges in the spring! A Feather on each shoulder! You’d scarce recognize him! By Men, yclept Caterpillar! By me! But who am I, To tell the pretty secret Of the Butterfly!
A Fuzzy Fellow, Without Feet - fact Summary
Dickinson's Nature Observation
This short poem personifies a caterpillar’s transformation with playful vividness. Dickinson observes a ‘‘fuzzy fellow’’ moving through grass and trees, sheltering in cocoons when storms come, and finally emerging altered and elegant. The tone is intimate and amused: the speaker claims small authority while acknowledging the insect’s ‘‘pretty secret.’’ The poem reflects Dickinson’s close attention to the natural world around her home, using a tiny life cycle to suggest change, concealment, and revealed beauty without moralizing or grand philosophical claims.
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