Like Ptolemy I’d make Egypt mine
ordain my own exalted line,
and once enflamed by scented wine
fermented from the ancient vine
I’d conquer land and concubine,
enjoying everything divine!
*(revised to note my animus
at tales of Ozymandias.)
Are You Reading Me?
"Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" said the inscription on the pharaoh's statue in Shelley's sonnet. Though the poet was making the point that such boasts are hollow because great monuments eventually decay, Ramesses' achievements were truly magnificent.
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