Dum tacent clamant br br INGLORIOUS friend! most confident I am br Thy life is one of very little ease; br Albeit men mock thee with their similes br And prate of being 'happy as a clam!' br What though thy shell protects thy fragile head br From the sharp bailiffs of the briny sea? br Thy valves are, sure, no safety-valves to thee, br While rakes are free to desecrate thy bed, br And bear thee off-as foemen take their spoil- br Far from thy friends and family to roam; br Forced, like a Hessian, from thy native home, br To meet destruction in a foreign broil! br Though thou art tender yet thy humble bard br Declares, O clam! thy case is shocking hard!br br John Godfrey Saxebr br