Saddamandias

April 9, 2003 | P B Shelley

[Cincinnatus]

Ozymandias

I met a traveler 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 upon 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.

-Percy Bysshe Shelley 1792-1822 ditto rng April 9, 2003

[Arkie2]

Perfect!

[xJones]

click.

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[formercalifornian]

Thought of that very same poem this week. Good post.

[Notforprophet]

How many freaking times is this poem gonna be posted? It's a good poem, but I have literally seen it 5 or 6 times in the last few days. :)

[Defiant]

4/4/03 Post

[B-Chan]

Saddamandias

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said:
Two vast and trunkless legs of brass
Stand in the city center.
Near them, on the street,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And hirsute 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 Saddamandias, General of Generals, President for Life:
Look upon my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains.
Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bustling
Full of life and liberty, he endless free streets stretch far away.

-B-Chan
9 April 2003
Apolgies to P.B.S.

[marshmallow]

Great minds.

This poem always springs to my mind immediately, whenever I see the calamitous collapse of some "Maximum Leader" amidst carnage and chaos. I almost posted a few lines from it on another thread.

How slow we are to learn. Human nature has not changed since the time Shelley penned these lines. I remember studying this poem in English class in about 10th grade. For some reason it has always stayed with me, especially the inscription on the pedestal.

Human vainglory.

"Vanity of vanities, the preacher sayeth. All is vanity."

[Cincinnatus]

Apologies to all for the lousy formatting. Was having stalled computer problem at the time. Still a great poem no matter how often posted, and I figured as soon as possible after the big statue fell was appropriate timing. For those who disagree, fear not. I take names.