Ozymandias By Percy Bysshe Shelley

“Ozymandias” is a short poem written by a poet named Percy Bysshe Shelley a long time ago. He wrote it in 1817 as part of a competition with a friend. It was published in a newspaper called The Examiner in 1818. In the poem, Shelley talks about an old statue of a king named Ozymandias, who was also known as Ramses II, an ancient Egyptian ruler. The statue is falling apart, showing how even powerful leaders eventually fade away.

Shelley uses the poem to show how art can keep memories alive. Even though the poem is like a little story with 14 lines, it’s not like most poems with that many lines because it doesn’t follow the usual rules for how it’s written. Shelley did this on purpose to be different, just like he liked to challenge the way things were done, both in politics and poetry.

New Words & Meaning

Antique قدیم، پرانا

Vast بڑا

Trunkless بے دہڑ

Shattered ٹوٹا ہوا، بکہرا ہوا

Visage شکل، چہرا 

Frown چہرے کے تعصرات

Wrinkled جہریاں 

Sneer حقارت آمیز مسکراہٹ

Command فرمان ہونا، حکم ہونا

Sculptor مجسمہ ساز

Passions جذبات، احساسات

Stamped مہر لگانا

Mocked مذاق ڑانے کا عمل

Fed کہلایا

Pedestal ستون کا پایہ

Despair مایوسی

Decay زوال

Colossal بہاری 

Wreck ملبہ

Boundless لا محدود، بے حد

Bare ننگا

Lone تنہا، اکیلا 

Stretch کھینچنا

Lines By Lines Explanations:

I met a traveler from an antique land,

The poet starts his poem by saying in the very first line that I met with a traveler from an old place. 

Who said “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert

The traveler says there are two long legs of the statue without the upper part of the body standing in this desert alone.  

Near them, on the sand, Half sunk a shattered visage lies,

The upper part of the body (The Face of the Statue) is half buried in the sand, broken, and scattered near the long legs of the statue. 

whose frown, wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Traveller says that the face of Stone has wrinkles on it and from expressions on his face it seems that he was a cruel king who used to give orders to others.

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Wow! The Sculptor had beautifully read the original expressions of the face of the king and exactly drew them on the face of the statue. 

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The writer says in these lines that till today this long statue is present in this desert, it is a non-living thing on which the sculptor has shown expression as it as king had on his face. 

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

In these lines writer wants to say that the sculptor intellectual has mocked the king because today this statue is not as beautiful as the king used to consider himself and the sculptor`s heart had a strong passion for making this statue.  

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

There is a notice board at the lower side of this stone and on the board, it is written that: 

My name is Ozymandias King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

On this notice board, it is written that my name is King Ozymandias and I am the king of kings. Look at my works at how beautiful I have ruled. I have done all work brilliantly but there is despair too! 

Nothing besides remains. Round the decay

He explains that nothing remains permanently in this world and everything has to an end lastly. Everything has to die one day.  

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

In the final two lines writer explains that there is no boundary of this desert, it is very big and wide, everywhere around is the desert only long and heavy this statue is here nothing else. 

Critically Analysis:

1. Structure and Style: The poem is pretty straightforward. It tells a story about a statue found in the desert. It’s written in a way that’s easy to understand, with simple words and clear descriptions.
2. Imagery: The poem uses vivid descriptions to paint a picture of the scene. It talks about the “vast” desert and the “half-sunk” statue, which helps us imagine what it looks like.
3. Irony: There’s a lot of irony in the poem. The statue has a message bragging about the ruler’s power, but the ruler’s power is long gone, and the statue is broken and forgotten. This irony helps us think about the real meaning of power and pride.
4. Themes: The main ideas of the poem are about power, time, and pride. It shows us that power doesn’t last forever, time changes everything, and being too proud can lead to downfall.
5. Impact: Even though it’s a short poem, “Ozymandias” makes us think about big ideas like power and time. It teaches us that even the mightiest things can crumble away, and it’s important to think about what’s important in life.

In simple terms, “Ozymandias” is a short and easy-to-understand poem that uses vivid descriptions and irony to make us think about big ideas like power, time, and pride.