the version as unrevolutionary act

as chekhov well knew, a whelk that is attached to the wall in the first verse must remain attached to the wall in the last verse, and indeed, even after the poem is over and the embers are burning down, the whelk should be left to its own devices - commonly, sliding from one edge to another in last search of the lost ocean, or fixed in place, turning inwardly on the waves of its loss. under no circumstances should one try to fire the whelk; though it may turn it is not a revolver, and though some species of snail may shoot the dribbling darts of love, the whelk (in the right environment) reproduces by internal fertilisation. where an uncle is present he should not be allowed to cross to the hearth to finger the spiral; his translations are no help.