The Chambered Nautilus
Oliver Wendell Holmes (1841-1935)
This is the ship of pearl, which, poets feign,
Sails the unshadowed main,—
The venturous bark that flings
On the sweet summer wind its purpled wings
In gulfs enchanted, where the Siren sings,
And coral reefs lie bare,
Where the cold sea-maids rise to sun their streaming hair.
Its webs of living gauze no more unfurl;
Wrecked is the ship of pearl!
And every chambered cell,
Where its dim dreaming life was wont to dwell,
As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell,
Before thee lies revealed,—
Its irised ceiling rent, its sunless crypt unsealed!
Year after year beheld the silent toil
That spread his lustrous coil;
Still, as the spiral grew,
He left the past year’s dwelling for the new,
Stole with soft step its shining archway through,
Built up its idle door,
Stretched in his last-found home, and knew the old no more.
Thanks for the heavenly message brought by thee,
Child of the wandering sea,
Cast from her lap, forlorn!
From thy dead lips a clearer note is born
Than ever Triton blew from wreathèd horn!
While on mine ear it rings,
Through the deep caves of thought I hear a voice that sings:—
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!
Questions for Discussion
1. What message does the speaker take from the shell?
A) The sea is a beautiful place.
B) Strive to live in a manner that makes tomorrow better than today.
C) Birth, death, and rebirth is the cycle of life.
D) A nautilus can circumnavigate the globe.
E) People need to protect themselves from the problems of the world.
2. What does the word “bark” (line 3) mean?
A) Flotsam
B) Sea foam
C) The sound of surf, similar to a dog’s cry
D) Jetsam
E) A type of boat
3. What does the speaker imagine when he sees the shell?
A) The voice of God speaking to him
B) The creature’s slow death
C) The marvels of nature
D) The oceans of the world
E) Places where the nautilus lived
4. What is it about the chambered nautilus that makes it appropriate for this poem’s message?
A) The sea creature has died.
B) The clearly defined chambers mark the progress of the animal’s growth.
C) The nautilus is indigenous to oceans near the poet’s home in Massachusetts.
D) The nautilus was highly prized for its beautiful shell.
E) As a scientist, as well as a writer,
5. Holmes was particularly interested in marine life. Based upon the author’s words, which of the following is the best description of the shape of the chambered nautilus?
A) Elongated tube
B) Irregular
C) Oblong
D) Spherical
E) Flat
6. How does Holmes compare the growth of the nautilus to the development of human beings?
A) The nautilus creates a new chamber every year; humans do not.
B) The voice tells the speaker to build more mansions.
C) People’s souls should outgrow their constraints and expand until completely free.
D) The death of any of God’s creatures, in this case the nautilus, is as impor-tant a loss as the death of a person.
E) Even in death, the nautilus speaks to the soul.
7. Oliver Wendell Holmes would agree with which of the following statements?
A) It is important to keep growing throughout life.
B) Study and appreciate creatures from nature.
C) Build greater and more elegant personal edifices.
D) Listen to the inner voice represented by the shell.
E) Love all God’s creations, including human beings.
8. Which of the following is not true regarding the meter of the first stanza?
A) The stanza is composed in iambic pentameter.
B) The first line includes a trochee.
C) Lines 4 and 5 are composed in iambic pentameter.
D) Line 6 is composed in iambic trimeter.
E) Line 7 is composed in iambic hexameter.
9. What figure of speech is found in this line from the second stanza: “As the frail tenant shaped his growing shell”?
A) Simile
B) Metaphor
C) Hyperbole
D) Oxymoron
E) Personification
10. What are the two classical allusions found in this poem?
A) A Jules Verne ship and a Greek sea god
B) Holy scripture and enchanting sea nymphs
C) A rainbow and the sun god
D) A Greek god of the sea and Roman architecture
E) Enchanting sea nymphs and a Greek sea god
1. The correct answer is (B). Themes or messages are often contained in the first or last stanzas of lyric poetry. In the last stanza of this poem, the lines express the point of striving for continued improvement day to day. Choices (A) and (C) may be true, but they are not relevant. Choices (D) and (E) may or may not be true, but they are also irrelevant.
2. The correct answer is (E). Do not get caught choosing a simple definition like a dog’s cry, choice (C). If you read above and below the line, you would see a parallel reference to a ship and a reference to purple wings, possibly sails. Then try elimi-nating answers by substituting the choices until you can select one that makes sense. Flotsam, choice (A), is the wreckage of a ship or odds and ends. Jetsam, choice (D), is equipment or cargo tossed overboard when a boat is in danger. Choice (B) might be correct, but foam does not have wings.
3. The correct answer is (E). The answer to this question is found in the first stanza. For the casual reader, all of the answers appear to have some relation to the subject of the poem. A careful reading will show you that only choice (E) is actually addressed by the poet.
4. The correct answer is (B). An understanding of the theme of the poem that you were asked about in question 1 will quickly lead you to the correct answer to this question. Some of the answers have elements that are true, but Holmes selected this shell because its various compartments make his point that we should strive to improve.
5. The correct answer is (D). You could use your knowledge of marine life and the appearance of a chambered nautilus to answer this question. Or you could check the poem (line 17) for the direct answer.
6. The correct answer is (C). This question has similarities with questions 1 and 4. An understanding of the poem’s theme will direct you to the correct answer. Note that this is true even if you do not recall the specific reference in the question (lines 34–35). The only response consistent with the theme is choice (C). Choices (A) and (D) are not relevant. Choice (B) is too literal a reading, and choice (E) is too interpretative.
7. The correct answer is (A). The need to understand a poem’s message is reinforced in this question. Holmes is speaking of the continuous growth of an individual throughout the individual’s life. None of the remaining responses is closely allied with the poem’s theme.
8. The correct answer is (A). Questions such as this test your ability to apply literary terms and conventions. In this case, the author uses iambic pentameter through much of his work.
9. The correct answer is (E). Holmes asks the reader to picture the actions of the chambered nautilus as if it were human. This is personification. A simile, choice (A), compares items using as or like. A metaphor, choice (B), states that something is some-thing else. Hyperbole, choice (C), is the use of exaggeration to create humor. Oxymoron, choice (D), uses contradictory words or phrases.
10. The correct answer is (E). The author alludes to Sirens, who are sea nymphs, and Triton, a Greek sea god. These are both classical allusions. Do not get caught by choice (A). Jules Verne’s ship, the Nautilus , is an allusion, but would not be considered a classical allusion. The Bible, choice (B), is not mentioned in the poem, nor is a rainbow or a sun god, choice (C). None of choice (D) is included.