Question

"nothing beside remains" what does the narrator mean when he says these words

Answer 1

The line, "Nothing beside remains,"(Shelley l. 12) tells of the impermanence of everything. Nothing lasts forever. No one person rules forever or lives forever. The king is dead. The sculptor who made the statue is dead. It shows that art, along with a few words is all that is left of the king and his time. This is also a metaphor for the pride of the human race. None of us, no matter how great we may think we are, lasts forever. Art, music, and language survive much longer than any single person.