An oyster lay in its slimy lair,
So big, that to tell its dimensions fair
Would take from now till to-morrow.
And this it was made the grating sound;
On this the Emily ran aground;
And this was the shoal the cap'n found,—
Alack! the more is the pity.
For straight an idea entered his head:
He'd drag it out of its watery bed,
And give it a resting-place, instead,