Lyrics
Celotno besedilo pesmi »Metuljček cekinček« z angleškim prevodom.
Metuljček cekinček, ti potepinček, kje si pa bil.
#Pri majceni cvetki, drobni marjetki, medek sem pil.
#Potem pa želodček, poln kot sodček, bil je nalit.
#Sem rekel marjetki, drobceni cvetki, zdaj sem pa sit.
#English translation
Butterfly, little sequin, you little vagabond, where have you been? At a tiny flower, a little daisy, I was sipping nectar. And then my little tummy, full as a little barrel, was all filled up. I said to the daisy, the tiny flower: now I'm quite full.
#Rights
The words of this song are by Janez Bitenc and are still in copyright. They are reproduced here, credited, for family and classroom singing; no reuse licence has been obtained, and nothing on this page may be copied further. Rightsholders can ask for a correction or removal — see lyrics & credits.
Metuljček cekinček at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🇸🇮 Slovenia
- Sung in
- Slovenian
- Words by
- Janez Bitenc
- First known
- words and music by Janez Bitenc (1925–2005)
- Best for ages
- 2–7
- Mood
- playful, traditional
- Last updated
- 27 August 2026
Meaning and origin
This is one of the daintiest songs in the Slovenian nursery, built as a gentle little conversation with a butterfly. He is addressed with two affectionate nicknames — cekinček, “little sequin” or gold coin, for the way his wings glint, and potepinček, “little vagabond”, for his wandering — and asked where he has been. His answer is the whole song: he was at a tiny daisy, sipping nectar, until his little tummy was “full as a barrel”, and now he is quite content.
Almost every word is a tender diminutive — the butterfly, the flower, the daisy, the tummy are all made small and sweet — which gives the song its soft, miniature world. Though it is sung so widely that many take it for a folk song, the words and music are by Janez Bitenc (1925–2005), the composer behind hundreds of Slovenian children’s songs; Mladinska knjiga’s collection of ninety of his songs is named after this one. Its appeal is exactly its scale: a whole satisfying little life, lived between a butterfly and one small daisy.
Common questions
- What is "Metuljček cekinček" about?
- A little conversation with a butterfly. He is called "cekinček" (little sequin or gold coin) for the way he shimmers, and a "potepinček" (little vagabond) for his wandering. Asked where he has been, he explains he was at a tiny daisy sipping nectar until his tummy was "full as a little barrel", so now he is quite satisfied.
- What do the names mean?
- "Cekinček" comes from "cekin", a gold coin, and suggests the butterfly's glittering wings; "potepinček" means a little vagabond or wanderer. The affectionate diminutives all through the song give it its tender, small-scale charm.
- Who wrote "Metuljček cekinček"?
- Janez Bitenc (1925–2005), the Slovenian children's composer, wrote both the words and the music; Besedilo.si credits him with both, and Mladinska knjiga publishes a collection of ninety of his children's songs under this very title. It is sung so widely that it is often taken for a folk song — the folk-song portal Slovenske narodne pesmi carries it with the performer marked as unknown — but it is his.
