Letter+Sounds

Letter Sounds

Letters such as “t” and “d” occur frequently throughout the poem. The hard sounds echo the difficulty and futility of creating a lasting image of oneself. Percy Shelley clearly wants his thoughts to be known to others if he is publishing them. These forceful, hard letters are showing his anger about the fact that in time his works will be destroyed and his ideas, and himself, forgotten.  I me__t__ a __t__raveler from an an__t__i__qu__e lan__d__ Who sai__d__: "__T__wo vas__t__ and __t__run__k__less legs of s__t__one S__t__and in the deser__t__. Near them, on the san__d__, Half sun__k__, a sha__tt__ere__d__ visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkle__d__ li__p__ an__d__ sneer of col__d__ comman__d__, __T__ell tha__t__ i__t__s s__c__ulp__t__or well those passions rea__d__ Which ye__t__ survive, s__t__ampe__d__ on these lifeless thin__g__s, The han__d__ tha__t__ mo__ck__e__d__ them and the hear__t__ that fe__d__; An__d__ on the pe__d__es__t__al these wor__d__s appear: “My name is Ozyman__d__ias, __k__ing of __k__ings: Loo__k__ on my wor__k__s, ye Migh__t__y, and despair!” Nothing besi__d__e remains. Roun__d__ the __d__e__c__ay Of tha__t__ __c__olossal wre__ck__, boun__d__less an__d__ bare, The lone and level san__d__s stretch far away.  Symbolic Meaning Home