Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

Ozymandias Play Audio By Percy Bysshe Shelley Toggle annotations 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.

Translation (English)

I met a traveler from an ancient place, Who said: “Two huge stone legs without a body Stand in the desert. Nearby, on the sand, Half-buried, a broken face lies, with a frown, And wrinkled lip, and a sneer of cold command, Showing that the sculptor understood those emotions well Which still survive, imprinted on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that nourished them: And on the base, these words are written: My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look at my works, you powerful ones, and despair!" Nothing else remains. Around the ruins Of that giant wreck, endless and empty The lonely and flat sands stretch far away.

About the Poet

Percy Bysshe Shelley (Romantic)

Percy Bysshe Shelley was an English Romantic poet known for his radical views and lyrical poetry. Although not widely recognized during his lifetime, his work gained significant acclaim posthumously, influencing later poets and thinkers.

Historical Context

Literary Form: Sonnet
When Written: 1817
Background: Shelley wrote 'Ozymandias' as part of a friendly competition with fellow poet Horace Smith. The poem reflects on the impermanence of human achievements, using the example of the Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II, known as Ozymandias in Greek.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozymandias, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46565/ozymandias, https://www.litcharts.com/poetry/percy-bysshe-shelley/ozymandias

Detailed Explanation

Shelley's 'Ozymandias' is a meditation on the fleeting nature of power and the inevitable decline of all leaders and empires. The poem begins with the narrator recounting a story told by a traveler from an ancient land. The traveler describes the ruins of a once-great statue in the desert, now reduced to two large, legless stone legs and a shattered face half-buried in the sand. The face, with its frown and sneer, suggests the ruler's arrogance and authority. Despite the sculptor's skill in capturing these emotions, the statue is now a mere remnant of its former glory. The pedestal bears an inscription from Ozymandias, proclaiming his greatness and urging the mighty to despair at his works. However, the irony is that nothing remains of his empire, and the vast, empty desert stretches around the ruins. This highlights the transience of human achievements and the ultimate futility of seeking eternal power and glory. The poem uses vivid imagery and irony to convey its themes, reflecting the Romantic era's interest in the sublime and the passage of time.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
antique	old, ancient	from a very old time	an-teek
trunkless	without a body	missing the main part	trunk-less
visage	face	the front part of the head	viz-ij
sneer	mocking smile	a mocking or scornful smile	sneer
pedestal	base, stand	the support for a statue	ped-es-tal
colossal	huge, gigantic	extremely large	ko-los-al
boundless	limitless	without boundaries	bound-less
decay	ruin, decomposition	the process of rotting or breaking down	de-kay
lone	solitary, alone	by itself, without others	lohn
level	flat, even	smooth and without bumps	lev-el
sands	grains of rock	tiny particles found on beaches or deserts	sandz
stretch	extend	to spread out over an area	strech
frown	scowl, grimace	a facial expression showing displeasure	frown
wrinkled	creased, lined	having small folds or lines	rin-kld
mighty	powerful, strong	having great strength or power	mai-tee