The Butterfly's Quest for Love

The butterfly had a desire to get married, and as you might imagine, it wished to choose the most beautiful flower among all the flowers. The options were countless, and deciding among them was quite a dilemma.

The butterfly set out on its quest and flew directly to the daisies, known to the French as "marguerite." When lovers plucked their leaves, they would ask with each pulled petal, "Does he or she love me a little, a lot, passionately, not at all?" The answer from the final petal would reveal the truth. So the butterfly approached the daisy and asked, "Dear Lady Marguerite, you are the wisest of all the flowers. Please tell me, should I marry this one or that one?" But Lady Marguerite didn't deign to respond. She was displeased that he had called her "lady" when she was still a maiden, which is not quite the same. After two more attempts and seeing her remain silent, the butterfly left to continue his courtship elsewhere.

It was the early days of spring, and crocuses and snowdrops were in full bloom. The butterfly thought they were lovely, but they still had the air of being newcomers. Like very young people, he preferred to look at those older than himself.

He flew to the anemones but found them a bit too bitter for his taste. Violets seemed too sentimental. The linden flower was too petite and had a large family. The apple blossom could compete with the rose, but it bloomed today to wither tomorrow, falling at the first breath of wind. A marriage with such a delicate being would be too short-lived.

Among them all, the pea flower pleased him the most. It was white and red, fresh and graceful, with a lot of charm, and yet, it was a good homemaker and didn't mind domestic responsibilities. He was about to propose when he noticed a withered flower on a pod hanging next to her.

"What's this?" he asked.

"That's my sister," replied the Pea Flower.

"Really, and you will be like that one day!" exclaimed the butterfly as he fled.

Spring passed, followed by summer, and the butterfly still couldn't decide. The flowers were now displaying their most vibrant colors, but without the fragrance of youth, it was all in vain. It's the youthful scent that particularly affects the hearts that are no longer young, and there were very few, to be honest, among the dahlias and chrysanthemums.

So, as a last resort, the butterfly turned to the mint. Although it didn't bloom, it could be said to be in full flower, as it was scented from head to toe. Each of its leaves was worth a flower for the fragrances it wafted in the air. "This is what I need," thought the butterfly. "I shall marry it." And he made his proposal.

Mint remained silent and formal as she listened. Finally, she said, "I offer you my friendship, if you please, but nothing more. I am old, and you are no longer young. We can certainly live together, but as for marriage... let's avoid ridicule at our age."

And so it happened that the butterfly married no one. He had taken too long to make a choice, and that, as they say, is a poor strategy. He became what we call an old bachelor.

Autumn was drawing to a close; the weather was dark and rainy. The cold wind blew so fiercely on the backs of the old willows that they creaked and groaned. It was not a good time to be outside. So the butterfly, having chanced upon shelter, a warm room where the temperature was like summer, thought, "One can't just live; one needs freedom, a ray of sunlight, and a little flower." He flew to the window and bumped into the glass. They saw him, admired him, caught him, and put him in the curiosity box.

"Here I am on a stem like the flowers," thought the butterfly. "Certainly, it's not very pleasant, but in the end, I'm settled. It's somewhat like marriage." He found some consolation in this thought, although some of the potted plants that were there to liven up the room teasingly whispered, "There's nothing to be expected from those plants comfortably settled in their pots. They're too at ease to be human." The butterfly mused, "These plants, they're not humans at all."