Ozymandias

About the author

Percy Bysshe Shelley
1792 – 1822
Born in Sussex, England

P.B.Shelley was born on 4 August 1792 in West Sussex, England. He was the eldest legitimate son of
Sir Timothy Shelley, a Sussex landowner. He had four younger sisters and a much younger brother. He
received his early education at home. His early childhood has been recounted in ‘The life of Percy Bysshe
Shelley ‘by his friend and cousin, Thomas Medwin.

He studied at Eton college and later at Oxford University. In 1811, Shelley anonymously published a
pamphlet called ’The necessity of Atheism’ which was brought to the attention of the university
administration and he was called to appear before the College's fellows, including the Dean. His refusal to
repudiate the authorship of the pamphlet resulted in his expulsion from Oxford on 25 March 1811.  He wrote
many short stories, essays, poems out of which the best known are Ozymandias, Ode to the West Wind, The
Cenci, Adonais, Prometheus Unbound to name a few.

Ozymandias Class 10 Poem Explanation

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

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

Antique: old
trunkless: without the upper body (the main part of the body of a human being or an animal, excluding the
head, neck, and limbs)

sunk: to descend below the surface of something

shattered: broken into pieces

visage: face

frown: expression of anger or displeasure

wrinkled: marks of lines or folds

sneer: facial expression of scorn or hostility in which the upper lip may be raised

cold: without feelings for others

command: domination or control

sculptor: an artist who makes sculptures

passions: refers to the expressions on the king’s face

read: interpreted

survive: continue to exist after his death

stamped: sculpted, printed or engraved

mocked: to copy something

The poet met a traveler who came from a remote land. He told the poet that he saw the remains of a statue in the
desert. Two huge legs made of stone stood and the remaining part of the statue – the upper body was missing.
Another part of the statue, the face lay on the sand nearby. It was damaged and broken into pieces. The face of
the statue had expressions of displeasure and a taunting smile. The wrinkles and lines of the face were also there.
The poet says that the sculptor who had made the statue had read the expressions on the Egyptian king
Ramesses’s face very well as he was able to copy them onto his statue so accurately. These expressions continued
to exist even after the king’s death through this lifeless statue. The sculptor’s hands copied the king’s ruthless
expressions and mocked at them while the king’s stone heart brought out these expressions on his face.

And on the pedestal these words appear:

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Pedestal: the base of a statue

Mighty: the powerful kings of the world

Despair: without hope

beside: else

decay: broken pieces of the statue

colossal: extremely large or great

wreck: ruins

boundless: without limits

bare: without the great statue of Ozymandias

lone: the only survivor

At the base of the statue the words - "My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look upon my works, ye Mighty,
and despair!" were engraved. The king introduced himself as Ozymandias, the most powerful king. He ordered
all the powerful kings of the world to look at his huge statue and feel belittled in front of the mightiest king –
Ozymandias. The poet says that now nothing else other than this engraving remains. The statue broke down with
the passage of time and its broken pieces could be seen lying around. The vast desert stretched all around and it
seemed to be endless. The statue of the great king Ozymandias was nowhere to be seen.