Poetry Analysis

Back to poet Translate into other languages

Ozymandias

Original Poetry

Translation

Ozymandias

I met a traveler from an ancient place,

Play Audio

Who said: “Two huge stone legs without a body

By Percy Bysshe Shelley

Stand in the desert. Nearby, on the sand,

Toggle annotations

Half-buried, a broken face lies, with a frown,

I met a traveller from an antique land,

And wrinkled lip, and a sneer of cold command,

Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Showing that the sculptor understood those emotions well

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Which still survive, imprinted on these lifeless things,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that nourished them:

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

And on the base, these words are written:

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

Look at my works, you powerful ones, and despair!"

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:

Nothing else remains. Around the ruins

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

Of that giant wreck, endless and empty

My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

The lonely and flat sands stretch far away.

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.

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.

Word Dictionary15

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
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

Poet & Context

PoetPercy Bysshe Shelley

EraRomantic

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.

View on Wikipedia

When1817

WhyShelley 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.

FormSonnet

Themes & More

Themes

Impermanence of powerHuman prideNature vs. human achievements

Literary devices

Irony: The inscription on the pedestal boasts of Ozymandias's greatness, yet nothing remains of his empire.Imagery: Vivid descriptions of the ruined statue and the vast desert create a powerful visual impact.Alliteration: 'boundless and bare,' 'lone and level' emphasize the emptiness surrounding the ruins.Symbolism: The shattered statue symbolizes the inevitable decay of human achievements.