（1990年度　追試験　英語　第５問）

Butterflies are insects as familiar to us as dragonflies. Many of us remember chasing them in the countryside or seeing them pinned neatly in boxes in museums. There are many people who collect butterflies because they are fascinated by their beauty and variety. Butterfly shapes have also been used for patterns on kimono for a long time. Nowadays butterflies are usually considered to be objects of beauty.

In the early stages of Japanese history, however, butterflies were not as popular as they are today. For example, in the eighth-century Manyoshu, one of the oldest collections of Japanese poetry, the word ‘butterfly’ is mentioned only twice. On the other hand, insect names such as ‘cricket’ appear more frequently. This may be due to the ancient Japanese attitude toward butterflies. In those days butterflies were feared and respected because they were thought to be the souls of people who had just died. Later their fearful image grew as Buddhist priests taught people of death and life after death. As a result, the butterfly as a symbol of the human soul came to be associated with death in the minds of many people. Butterflies were, therefore, not just delicate, beautiful creatures.

The image of butterflies gradually changed along with our ancestors’ views of life and nature. As time went on, butterflies began to draw the attention of artists and craftsmen, and the ancient Japanese fear of them was replaced by feelings of admiration as their beauty was more deeply appreciated. Butterflies are a good example of how people’s attitudes toward familiar things around us can change over time.

(265 words)