Thursday, January 15, 2009

Poem of the day

--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 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.'

Shelley "Ozymandias"

6 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Many years ago, I was walking along the vast empty sands of North Cornwall's Atlantic shore and came upon a lone, smooth rock, worn down smooth and shiny by centuries of tides. I said to my companion: It reminds me of Ozymandias. She replied: Ozzy who?

12:33 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I really like this poem. I had a show on student radio when I was at university called 'Ozymandias is back'; I started the show with that poem every week.

xD.

2:26 pm  
Blogger kinglear said...

Its lovely isn't it? Great use of words

9:32 pm  
Blogger Whispering Walls said...

Happy New Year Mr Eurodog - love it!

Hi Dave - glad this poem has good memories for you and hope you're well. Are you getting married this year?

Yes KL, how the mighty fall.

9:45 am  
Blogger kinglear said...

Mr. Eurodog's lady friend on the beach outlines very nicely what one looks for in a partner.
Personally, I would find it very difficult to live with someone who responded in the way the young lady did. That said, many people might find it attractive.
Perhaps the "arranged marriage" is not such a bad thing. Yes it might be subject occassionally to abuse, but in general people who marry within its boundaries tend to be "well matched".
Of course, in our present era of a huge underclass that intermarry - sorry, that should be shack up together for a night or two - it makes no difference. Their education level and attitudes don't extend beyond Big Brother.

10:01 am  
Blogger Ellee Seymour said...

Mr Eurodog, yes, it's certainly not Ozzy Osborne!

11:02 pm  

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