Lines 6 - 8

• “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;”
• Translation

  • The reader then learns of the sculptor, who “ well those passions read ”, meaning that he could see beneath Ozymandias’s cold, commanding exterior to his passionate rage to “ stamp ” himself on the world
  • When the poet refers to “ The hand that mocked them ”, he is implying that the sculptor knew Ozymandias’s true and ultimately futile nature
  • The sculptor created the statue in a way that portrayed the cruelty of the king
• Shelley’s intention

  • The poem presents negative views about the power used to impose will
  • It also comments on the arrogance and pride that can come from the type of tyrannical power in which the ruler wishes only to be known for his perceived greatness