Summary of the poem Butterfly by D H Lawrence
Answers
Seeing as we are in the month of October I thought it would be interesting to touch on this issue in the poem. October represents a transition period between the summer and winter. It ushers in winter, and in the poem we get a sense of inevitability with respect to it. A recurring theme is the wind blowing "sea-ward"; a wind that apparently no matter what the butterfly does forces it to merge with the wind and succumb to its pressure. Although "it is warm" in the garden, Lawrence keeps reminding the reader that the wind persists. In other words, no matter how much we desire to freeze time, it moves on irrespective of our wishes.
In this respect I see the butterfly as a metaphor of summer. He is vibrant, white and big. If winter is usually associated with death, a butterfly flying freely from flower to flower is the exact opposite. As the butterfly dissolves in the distance, so does summer.
It is a realistic depiction of time. Although we often try to avoid its passing, every attempt at trying to do so remains futile. The wind is too strong for a weak butterfly to try and fly against the current.