The Chambered Nautilus
“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.”
____ Oliver Wendell Holmes
The Chambered Nautilus surely is one of natures most beautiful creatures. Its gracefully curving, spiraling shell has inspired poets, and puzzled scientists for years. The nautilus is a mollusk related to cuttlefish, squid, and octopus and has changed little in over 400 million years. The creature dominated the ancient seas before the rise of fishes, and appeared about 265 million years before the first dinosaurs. In prehistoric times, there were about 10,000 different species of the nautilus, but only a few species survived to the present.
Tina Schell
20 Jun 2013OK, you made me really jealous with this post. The photograph is glorious and the Holmes poem is perfect. Beautifully done Ron.
fotograffer
21 Jun 2013Thanks Tina. I am happy you liked it. I’ve had this thing about the Chambered Nautilus for ever and this was the perfect opportunity to use it.
Harlequin Tea Set
20 Jun 2013This is such a badass picture, seriously love how dramatic it looks!
fotograffer
21 Jun 2013Thanks?
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adinparadise
25 Jun 2013Fabulous pic for the curves theme, Ron. Love the poem too. 🙂
Pinetree Photo Nature Discovery
9 Jul 2013Beautiful! The black, white, and grey tones really work, and such a fitting poem.
fotograffer
14 Jul 2013Thanks Carol. I considered the color image but thought the BW worked the best.
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