I have seen

A curious child, who dwelt upon a tract

Of inland ground, applying to his ear

The convolutions of a smooth-lipped shell,

To which, in silence hushed, his very soul

Listened intensely; and his countenance soon

Brightened with joy, for from within were heard

Murmurings, whereby the monitor expressed

Mysterious union with his native sea.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850): The Excursion. Book iv.

Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul,

As the swift seasons roll!

Leave thy low-vaulted past!

Let each new temple, nobler than the last,

Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast,

Till thou at length art free,

Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea!

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894): The Chambered Nautilus.

The soul of music slumbers in the shell

Till waked and kindled by the master's spell;

And feeling hearts, touch them but rightly, pour

A thousand melodies unheard before!

Samuel Rogers (1763-1855): Human Life.

I have seen

A curious child, who dwelt upon a tract

Of inland ground, applying to his ear

The convolutions of a smooth-lipped shell,

To which, in silence hushed, his very soul

Listened intensely; and his countenance soon

Brightened with joy, for from within were heard

Murmurings, whereby the monitor expressed

Mysterious union with his native sea.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850): The Excursion. Book iv.

There, take (says Justice), take ye each a shell:

We thrive at Westminster on fools like you;

'T was a fat oyster,—live in peace,—adieu.

Alexander Pope (1688-1744): Verbatim from Boileau.

"There, take," says Justice, "take ye each a shell;

We thrive at Westminster on fools like you.

'T was a fat oyster! live in peace,—adieu."

Nicholas Boileau-Despreaux (1636-1711): Epître ii.