A few playful couplets imagine the oyster as a model of contentment. It never leaves its shell, yet it flourishes inside, needing no struggle or anxious thought to enjoy being exactly what it is. The speaker points out that the oyster even treats a pearl as a flaw—an irritation—rather than something precious. That contrast with human values is part of the joke: we prize the pearl, but the oyster simply lives with it and gets on. The line “takes his world with ample salt” is especially dry, both literally and in tone, suggesting the oyster accepts everything around it, even brine and grit, without complaint. The mood is light, wry, and faintly envious; the speaker seems amused by, and maybe a little wistful about, such uncomplicated self-sufficiency.
Songs About Life and Brighter Things Yet XIII — Summary
The oyster never leaves his shell, And does, therein, exceeding well;
He does not have to sweat and brood To know the joys of oysterhood; He deems the treasured pearl a fault, And takes his world with ample salt.