ozymandias

Ozymandias (1818): An Analysis I met a traveler 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, 5 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; imitated And on the …

…harlemagne's effect on the world ("shaping" western Europe) can still be seen, while Ramses II's legacy is less evident. Unlike the lost potency of Ramses II and Charlemagne's dreams, Shelley's poem still has its power. Through irony, unique use of rhyme, and historical allusion, "Ozymandias" reminds us of our mortality through the realization that our earthly accomplishments, so important to us now, will one day be covered by the "lone and level sands" of time.