verified human
Ozymandias
I met a traveller 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,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read…
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains."
Description
A ruined statue in the desert mocks the pride of a forgotten king.
Meaning
On the vanity of power and the certainty that all empires fall to sand.
License
public-domain