The poem
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."
general and detailed meaning of the poem and waht consider t be the poet's intention
All of the despots , kings, presidents--in fact, anyone who thinks he/she is a big deal--ought to read this poem. Shelley concisely shows us that man is really very tiny and inisignifant in the entire scheme of things.
fame and power is fleeting...
this poem describes with great power and has interesting parts that are quite strong. the meaning of this is complex but good. I think it builds on the mystery and makes the poem less informative by the first line...starting with the first person is very strong...
Sometimes the interior twist lays not in the poem but in ourselves... the king might also have been wise enough to show that all things turn to dust, time devours everything... in general, it is those most unable to endure who desperately wish to... kings have a way of leaving their ephemeral legacy.
IT IS REALLY WONDERFUL POEM. YOU KNOW WHAT GUYS, GHANDY LOVED THIS POEM TOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH. HE PUT IT BESIDE HIS PILLOW TO MAKE HIM THINK OF HIS DUTIES AND NEVER BE LAZY MAN.
I agree with megg fro mAustralia. I think that we somehow linger in this world and this poem reflects that.
this poem is a heartbroken poem that only a great poet can write this kind of poem .When I"m reading this poem I imagine what Happen To Ozymandias during his time and the readers become interested to read this poem .I wish all of the studets like me read this great composition of Shelly
I realize that my boyfriend is Ozymandias because like my bf he wins all the battle for his country hi to Mark Anthony B. Diaz Of Phillipines
Ozymandias is another of these nihilistic poems. All of our works will crumble to dust. Nihilism isn’t pessimism, where all turns out for the worse, but where we, and our efforts, amount to absolutely nothing. In an old movie, at some point, the title of which I don’t remember, someone said: “An Eastern Monarch wanted an answer which he could use in all situations. His wise men returned with the phrase: ‘And this…
Read the whole commentOzymandias is another of these nihilistic poems.
All of our works will crumble to dust.
Nihilism isn’t pessimism, where all turns out for the worse, but where we, and our efforts, amount to absolutely nothing.
In an old movie, at some point, the title of which I don’t remember, someone said: “An Eastern Monarch wanted an answer which he could use in all situations. His wise men returned with the phrase: ‘And this too shall pass.’”
Ozymandias is from the Ancient Greek name for Ramsees the Great (User-u-maate or something), and as one of the greatest, most powerful rulers of all time, left his mark...
But they crumble, have deteriorated...
The: "Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!" is actually roughly fitting an inscription on some official structure.
This shows the futility of it all, but we go on, doing our thing, striving.
I am revisiting this poem, one of my favorites since my college days. To me, it is the ultimate description of the folly of hubris and arrogance in men. Such a direct twist of the knife to all of them! I agree that all who think they are great and powerful should read this poem and heed its message. It has great relevance in today's world.
Ozymandias is the classic example of the inevitablity of death and those who do try their hardest to leave some sort of legacy to only be forgotten just as easily as the sand of time come to wear away at statues built.
This poem follows in the footsteps of the son of King David in the words of the Preacher in Ecclesiastes who said, in essence, . . Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. The question is asked: what profit does a man have for all his work because one generation passes away and another generation comes
. . . . The conclusion of the matter is thus stated: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter; Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man." Ozymandias did not find the answer to life.
In the first line the use of a traveler for telling the story can be deliberately chosen as the travelers wanders for seeing the ruins from ancient times, the beauty of the world. Therefore, for making emphasis on the statue being a ruin, this kind of choice can have been used.