volunteers bring you 13 recordings of The Chambered Nautilus by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for July 3, 2022.
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The poet discovers an abandoned nautilus shell on the beach, and examining it, muses metaphorically about the beauty and precision of nature, the benefits of struggle, and the motive power of passion which propelled this creature through its life to build this magnificent edifice. It is through the example of the tiny nautilus, growing bigger each year, vacating his old space to enjoy expanding quarters with mathematical precision, and finally leaving an exquisite shell on the beach as a memento of his life; the speaker discovers the best way to live.