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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE SHELL, by JAMES STEPHENS Poet's Biography First Line: And then I pressed the shell Last Line: To hear a car go jolting down the street! Subject(s): Sea; Shells; Ocean; Conchology | |||
And then I pressed the shell Close to my ear And listened well, And straightway like a bell Came low and clear The slow, sad murmur of far distant seas, Whipped by an icy breeze Upon a shore Wind swept and desolate. It was a sunless strand that never bore The footprint of a man, Nor felt the weight Since time began Of any human quality or stir, Save what the dreary winds and waves incur. And in the hush of waters was the sound Of pebbles rolling round, For ever rolling with a hollow sound, And bubbling sea-weeds, as the waters go, Swish to and fro Their long, cold tentacles of slimy grey. There was no day, Nor ever came a night Setting the stars alight To wonder at the moon. Was twilight only and the frightened croon, Smitten to whimpers, of the dreary wind And waves that journeyed blind-- And then I loosed my ear--oh, it was sweet To hear a car go jolting down the street! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TANKA DIARY (2) by HARRYETTE MULLEN APPRECIATION by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH TO SOME LADIES [ON RECEIVING A CURIOUS SHELL] by JOHN KEATS ON SOME SHELLS FOUND INLAND by TRUMBULL STICKNEY WITH A NANTUCKET SHELL by CHARLES HENRY WEBB AN ENGLISH SHELL by ARTHUR CHRISTOPHER BENSON SEA LAVENDER by LOUISE MOREY BOWMAN SONG OF THE SHELL by HENRY NEHEMIAH DODGE |
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