I have always liked the Shelley poem, ever since we had to memorize it in school, was it in 7th grade, 8th grade, I’m not sure. Remember memorizing poems? This was before I knew how deep its meanings are. Committing a poem to memory is beneficial because it is already there when something calls it forth. I had never seen the Horace Smith poem, so thanks for both the original post of the poem, very apt, and thanks also for the interesting link.
I was somewhat reluctant to post it because, unlike Ramesses II, no one will remember John Kerry in three millenia, and Kerry’s power and might is entirely in his imagination.
One thing that is striking in the comparison of Horace Smith and Shelley’s poems is the subtly and imagery of Shelley compared to Smith. Smith explicitly makes the comparison of Egypt and London, Shelley never makes any mention of the present, knowing the reader will make if for himself, nor does he name Egypt, just an antique desert land. The pictures are better in Shelley’s version.
Yes, I remember memorizing poems and being tested on it, and I hated it.