Besedilo (Lyrics)
Celotno besedilo pesmi »Gosenica« z angleškim prevodom.
Gosenica je lezla počasi na drevo, pomigala na dolgo, pomigala kratko.
#Primigala je k meni, v lonček sem jo dal, nikar mi ne pobegni, požugal sem dejal.
#Ko v lonček sem pogledal, je notri ni bilo, pred oknom pa je letal metuljček prelepo.
#English translation
A caterpillar crawled slowly up the tree, it wiggled a long wiggle, it wiggled a short one. It wiggled its way over to me, I put it in a little pot, "don't you run away from me," I said, wagging my finger. When I looked into the pot, it wasn't inside any more, but past the window there flew a butterfly, so lovely.
#Gosenica at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🇸🇮 Slovenia
- Sung in
- Slovenian
- Words by
- Traditional
- First known
- Slovenian children's song; author unknown
- Best for ages
- 2–7
- Mood
- playful, traditional
- Last updated
- 25 July 2026
Meaning and origin
This gentle song hides a small piece of natural magic inside a nursery story. A caterpillar crawls slowly up a tree, wiggling long and short; the child coaxes it over, pops it into a little pot, and wags a finger — don’t you run away from me. But when the child looks back into the pot, the caterpillar has vanished, and a beautiful butterfly is flying past the window instead.
The lovely thing is what the song leaves unsaid. It never explains that a caterpillar becomes a butterfly; it simply lets the child discover it, through the empty pot and the sudden shimmer at the window — the same delighted surprise a real child feels on learning it for the first time. It is a Slovenian children’s song handed down without a recorded author (no reliable attribution could be found, so it is treated here as traditional), and its quiet trick of turning a science lesson into a small wonder is exactly why it lasts.
Common questions
- What is "Gosenica" about?
- A caterpillar's secret transformation. A caterpillar crawls slowly up a tree, wiggling long and short; the child coaxes it over and puts it in a little pot, wagging a finger and warning it not to run away. But when the child looks inside, the caterpillar is gone — and a beautiful butterfly is flying past the window. Without saying so directly, the song shows a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.
- What does "Gosenica" teach?
- The idea of metamorphosis, gently and by surprise. Rather than explaining that caterpillars turn into butterflies, it lets the child discover it through the little story — the empty pot and the butterfly at the window.
- Who wrote "Gosenica"?
- It is a Slovenian children's song passed down without a single recorded author; no reliable attribution could be found, so it is treated here as traditional.
