Valentines From A Conchologist

Were I a murm'ring ocean shell
    Pressed close against your ear,
My constant whisperings would tell
    A story sweet to hear.
I'd make the message from the sea
    Love's tidings on the shore,
And I would woo with words so true
    That you could ask no more.

So if some silvern nautilus
    Lay close beside your cheek,
And you should hear a language dear
    Unto the heart I seek,
You'll know within the simple shell
    That murmurs o'er and o'er
I send to you a love more true
    Than e'er was breathed before.