Vigil Alive. Vanessa cardui, Painted Lady Butterfly, on Butterfly Bush, Buddleia, Gaasperplaspark, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

            During the vigil between his death and cremation, I walked in the Gaasperplaspark that he, too, liked so much. And sadly I reflected on the beauty of this wonderful migratory Painted Lady Butterfly. 
Perhaps the soul migrates - Butterflies down through the centuries have stood for souls - perhaps it doesn't. But looking upon Vanessa my view was darkened by the terrible suffering I'd witnessed for months. And the words of Alexander Pope (1688-1744) sprang to mind: 'Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?' Out of context, I: By whose grace can it be that such a delicate soul is broken so awfully?
And then my other I recalled these words by John Donne (1572-1631):

'Death, be not proud, though some have called thee 
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so; 
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow 
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me. 
...
One short sleep past, we wake eternally 
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.'

That's from the Holy Sonnets.
I fear, though, I for assent am not holy enough...
But Painted Lady took flight and ascended into the Bright Blue Sky.
 
   

Taken in: Holland / North Holland / Zuidoost (show map)

Taken on: August 27, 2019

Tags:

Butterfly

Painted Lady

Buddleia

Gaasperplaspark, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Alexander Pope

John

Donne

John Donne

insect

holy

death

funeral

cremation

torture wheel

soul

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Camera: Olympus TG-3, f/4.5, 1/250 sec, 9mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Olympus TG-3
Aperture:	f/4.5
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	9mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Creative (Slow speed)
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Scene Capture Type:	Landscape
Contrast:	High
Sharpness:	Hard
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Version 1.0
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