The poem begins
with the speaker
meeting a traveler The lines depict a
who describes a broken statue in a
ruined statue's
legs, emphasizing
1 I met a traveller from an antique land desert, conveying
themes of
the grandeur lost abandonment and
to time the passage of time
The image of vast 2 Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone The shattered
visage symbolizes
and trunkless legs
of stone depicts the impermanence
of human
the statue's
colossal remains,
3 Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, accomplishments
symbolizing the and the eventual
fleeting nature of decay of
power and glory 4 Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown monumental egos
The lines
Line 5 describes the emphasize the
expression on the enduring
shattered visage portrayal of
of Ozymandias' emotions and
statue
It suggests that 5 And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command authority by the
sculptor in the
the sculptor statue's features
accurately They suggest a
captured
Ozymandias'
6 Tell that its sculptor well those passions read contrast between
the permanence
authoritative and of the emotions
disdainful conveyed in the
demeanor
The wrinkled lip
7 Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things, sculpture and the
transient nature
and sneer of cold of human
command reveal
the sculptor's skill 8 The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed; achievements
The imagery
in portraying highlights the
powerful emotions irony that while
and character Ozymandias
through art sought eternal
glory, only the
sculptor's
Ozymandias'
inscription on the
9 And on the pedestal these words appear: interpretation of
pedestal boasts of his emotions
his grandeur and remains vivid
authority
The phrase king of
10 my name is Ozymandias, king of kings: The statue's
kings suggests his surroundings are
perceived superiority empty,
over other rulers 11 Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!' emphasizing the
absence of
The command to
Look on my works, Ozymandias'
ye mMighty, and once-great
despair! is a challenge works
to admire his The ruins of the
achievements and statue lie in a
feel overwhelmed by
their greatness
12 Nothing beside remains. Round the decay vast, desolate
landscape
However, the irony The phrase
lies in the contrast colossal wreck
between the 13 Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare, highlights the
arrogance of fallen grandeur
Ozymandias' words and ruin
and the reality of his
empire's complete
14 The lone and level sands stretch far away. The endless, flat
desert sands
decay and oblivion symbolize the
erasure of
Ozymandias'
legacy
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