
By D. H. Lawrence
NEW YORK THOMAS SELTZER 1921
BABY TORTOISE
TORTOISE-SHELL
TORTOISE FAMILY CONNECTIONS
LUI ET ELLE
TORTOISE GALLANTRY
TORTOISE SHOUT
The opening immerses listeners in the intimate world of a newborn tortoise, coaxing it from its shell with a cascade of vivid, almost tactile images. Each line follows the creature’s tentative first steps, its tiny beak‑shaped mouth and slow‑dragging limbs, while a quiet awe builds around its solitary quest for nourishment and light. The poem’s rhythm mirrors the animal’s measured pace, inviting a meditative contemplation of life’s earliest, fragile moments.
From that delicate emergence, the piece unfolds into a lyrical exploration of the tortoise’s shell as a living tapestry of geometry and pattern. The verses weave numbers, stripes, and ancient symbols into the creature’s armor, suggesting a hidden order that links the smallest being to the vast, immutable laws of the universe. Listeners are drawn into a serene yet profound meditation on solitude, endurance, and the quiet grandeur that resides in even the tiniest of travelers.
Language
en
Duration
~18 minutes (18K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by David Widger
Release date
2007-08-31
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1885–1930
Known for writing with unusual emotional force, this English modernist explored love, class, desire, and the pressures of industrial life. His novels still feel alive because they ask difficult, deeply human questions without flinching.
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