Question

the lone and lonely sands stretch far away. what does it mean

Answer 1

eNotessearch

Search for any book or any question

HOMEWORK HELP > OZYMANDIAS
What are the figures of speech used in "Ozymandias"?
print Print document PDF list Cite
EXPERT ANSWERS
CAROL-DAVIS eNotes educator| CERTIFIED EDUCATOR

"Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley is an unusual sonnet. It has fourteen lines; yet, in the three quatrains of the poem, the thought from each is carried over to the next quatrain. The couplet is not two lines unto themselves nor do the couplet lines rhyme. His rhyme scheme is atypical of the usual sonnet rhyming pattern.

The poem is told in first person. The narrator remembers meeting a man from an aged land who tells a story. The traveler came upon the ruins of a gigantic statue. The legs were still standing. However, the face of this statue was partially down in the sand. It portrayed a man with a scowling frown. He obviously had been a great leader. The sculptor was able to see into the character of the leader and his passions. But the stones are lifeless.

Answer 2

The phrase is used to convey the ruin and destruction of time. The poet describes the "sands" as "lone," which means whatever else used to be "beside" the statue has been destroyed or buried. The statue was the only thing in that barren desert.