The Chambered Nautilus

In “The Chambered Nautilus” the speaker urges that we pay attention to the transitory nature of life while still holding onto faith. The speaker suggests that faith can be honored, but not at the expense of living life fully, which must be done despite difficult circumstances.

At the beginning of the poem, the beautiful and adventurous nautilus is seduced by “the Siren [who] sings” (Line 5) in “gulfs enchanted” (Line 5). A pearly “ship” (Line 1), the nautilus is “wrecked” on the “coral reefs” (Line 6). Here, the nautilus represents someone who gives in to temptation.

When they acquire the shell, the speaker first regards it scientifically, focusing on the growing “lustrous coil” (Line 16) of its spiral chambers that have been exposed. At first, when they imagine the creature inside the nautilus, they see it as mundane. The nautilus was a “frail tenant” (Line 12) with a “dim dreaming life” (Line 11) who “shaped his growing shell” (Line 12) in “silent toil” (Line 15).

This opinion shifts when the speaker begins to realize the work of the nautilus was completed “year after year” (Line 15) with diligence. The nautilus made the place it lived beautiful on the inside. This was achieved not only through patience but also by embracing change, leaving “the past year’s dwelling for the new” (Line 18).