Ozymandias
BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
#poetryfoundation
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Ozymandias,a great ruler who won over many kingdoms so that he named himself King of Kings. He wanted the future generations to know about his powers. The king was proud of his works which were now turned to dust. He thought that he was the most powerful so, He wanted the upcoming generations to chant his glory.
The Poet wanna convey that nothing is powerful in front of Nature. Ozymandias,The King who was once defeated by none was now defeated by Nature. This is symbolized by the trunk-less legs. Nature had taken down his statue as well as his overestimated glory.
It was an ambiguity whether the sculptor actually supported the King or mocked him.
We have got to thank the traveler,without whom the poem won't have existed.
Tyro Aurum