"The time has come," the Walrus said, "To talk of many things." - Lewis Carroll

Ozymandias

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

1. I met a traveller from an antique land
 2. Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
 3. Stand in the desart. Near them, on the sand,
 4. Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
 5. And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
 6. Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
 7. Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
 8. The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
 9. And on the pedestal these words appear:
 10. "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
 11. Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
 12. Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
 13. Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
 14. The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Select the line you wish to annotate:


Click on a line to see some annotations. 1. Wouldn't it be a cool twist if Ozymandias was actually the traveller? 2. I'd rather be remembered for something other than my legs...but I guess there are some people out there that would be ok with that. 3. Has anyone else noticed the spelling of desert in this? 4. "A shattered visage" - I love that phrase. 5. Sic semper tyrannis! 6. I can always picture obelisks when I read this piece of art. 7. Nothing survives forever. The burning gaze of the sun will ensure of that. 8. I can never tell if this line is referring to the sculptor or the king himself. 9. In the modern age, that pedestal would be long since be the victim of graffiti. 10. I thought this poem was about Watchmen, but wow is it good! 11. Any works that are designed to make others despair are obviously abominations that never should have been dreamed up. 12. Time errodes all...except love. Love is eternal. 13. So just how big do you presume this statue was? 14. Look at Detroit for a modern example.