Colonel Paul’s Corner – Ozymandias - King of Kings

On 11 January, 1818 English romantic poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley, published his most famous poem, “Ozymandias”. His 14-line sonnet relates how a traveler encountered the remains of a huge statue in the desert. The statue had long since crumbled. Only part of the legs and a large, fractured face lay in the desert sand. The inscription on the base read, “I am Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my works, ye mighty and despair”!

The ancient Greeks used the name Ozymandias for the Egyptian Pharaoh, Ramses II, who ruled Egypt, 1279-1213 BC. Historians agree that during his 66-year rule, he accumulated great power and was exceedingly cruel. He had numerous memorials and statues erected to himself throughout his kingdom. He was convinced that no other ruler in the future would eclipse his reign, and his inscription reflected his arrogance. As the traveler discovered two centuries later, little remained to mark the reign of Ozymandias. At one time, he was the most powerful man in the world, now his works were returning to the desert sand.

Shelley’s 14 lines of iambic pentameter illustrate a great truth - all power and glory are transient. Great men die whether they are kindly or hateful, and their works crumble. Throughout history, great rulers have sought in vain to control the future. Today they are relegated to history books. The statues and monuments they left behind will gradually disappear in the relentless march of time. Soon, even the remains the traveler found will return to the endless desert sand.

In 1822, Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned in the ocean off the Italian coast. His body was cremated. For some unexplained reason his heart did not fully burn. The heart was given to his wife, Mary. She later wrote the science fiction novel, Frankenstein. When she died his heart was found in her desk wrapped in some of his poetry.

So far as we know, human beings are the only creatures that know they will eventually die. The butterfly and the blue whale lead their lives unburdened by the thought of death. Even among humans the reality of death only arrives with adulthood. Children share the bliss of the butterfly and the whale.

Scientists tell us that upon birth human body cells only have the ability to divide 40-60 times depending on the type of tissue. Eventually our cells wear out. They can no longer accurately reproduce their DNA and thereby lose the blueprint for repair and growth. That is why we deteriorate and die. Brain cells, neurons, are the exception. When we are born we already have all of them we will ever have. They do not reproduce. Our brains deteriorate from a variety of causes still not fully understood. Even the healthiest brain dies five minutes after blood circulation stops.

So…even if you have not been a big success, take comfort that the most powerful person in life will share your fate.

“I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it”.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, 1835-1910

By Paul Warrick: January 15, 2026 - Great Falls, Mt