As is the bud bit with an envious worm
Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air,
Or dedicate his beauty to the sun.

– William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 1. Montague uses a simile to compare the troubled Romeo to a bud eaten away by a worm before it has a chance to blossom. Worm is personified here as being "envious."