Ozymandias
“Ozymandias” is a sonnet
written by P.B. Shelley. This poem talks about the impermanence of human life.
It also records the power of time and art.
A traveler tells the
poet that he saw two huge stone legs in the desert. It was the statue of the
Egyptian pharaoh Ramses II. He was also known as Ozymandias. Near the statue, on
the sand lies a damaged stone head. The face is distinguished by a frown and a
sneer. These expressions are the evidence for the skill of the sculptor.
The king has engraved the
following words on the pedestal of the statue to proclaim his power and pride:
"My name is
Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and
despair!"
But, around the huge
fragments there is only empty desert. The poet points out the irony of life in
these lines. The king wanted to immortalize himself by erecting a statue. Even
he asks the people to see his mighty palace. But at present, nothing is
available. The poet calls it as “colossal wreck”. As the statue is now
destroyed, the engraving is a mockery at the pride and ego of the king.
Through this poem,
Shelley records that the art is more powerful than mortals. The king is dead
and gone whereas the statue remains. Also the poet stresses that time is the most
powerful thing in the world.
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