Looking at the Poem "Ozymandias" from a Biblical Perspective

Read the short poem "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley here, then read my brief commentary below.

The poem “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley serves as a reminder that the riches, fame, and fortune one can accumulate here on earth are only temporary. 

Although Ozymandias had once been a wealthy and powerful king, only ruins, which the traveler in the poem describe as “that colossal wreck, boundless and bare” (Shelley, 1817, Line 13), remain of this mighty king and his once great kingdom.  

As it relates to sharing the salvation message with others, this poem seems to echo Jesus’ warning, “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36, King James Version). 

“Ozymandias” could be used in witnessing to illustrate the truth that only faith in Christ, not worldly wealth or accomplishments, will last into eternity.