Ozymandias BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

Ozymandias 

BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

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;

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. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

Source: Shelley’s Poetry and Prose (1977)

R.K. Narayan, The Guide important quates

 It seems to me that we generally do not have a correct measure of our own wisdom

Travelers are an enthusiastic lot. They do not mind any inconvenience as long as they have something to see.

Raju remained silent. He could not open his lips without provoking admiration. This was a dangerous state of affairs.

I’ve come to the conclusion that nothing in this world can be hidden or suppressed. All such attempts are like holding an umbrella to conceal the sun.

R.K. Narayan, The Guide

I felt too hurt. I thought that Othello was kindlier to Desdemona.