How does Shelley present time in "Ozymandias"?

In "Ozymandias," time is shown to be constant, sharply contrasting with the way human beings live their lives.

Shelley shows human beings to be finite. They are transitory, entering and leaving. This impermanence is seen in the poem's opening about meeting "a traveller from an antique land." The traveller passes and is far from permanent. Ozymandias is seen in the same way. He believes himself to be meaningful and powerful, someone who can tell others...

In "Ozymandias," time is shown to be constant, sharply contrasting with the way human beings live their lives.

Shelley shows human beings to be finite. They are transitory, entering and leaving. This impermanence is seen in the poem's opening about meeting "a traveller from an antique land." The traveller passes and is far from permanent. Ozymandias is seen in the same way. He believes himself to be meaningful and powerful, someone who can tell others to "Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" However, his statue has eroded and there is nothing left of his reign. In these examples, human beings are temporal creatures.

In the poem, the only constant is time. It is as consistent as the stretching sand that concludes the poem. Time keeps going as it permanently encompasses the life of human beings. While human beings are impermanent and not lasting, time continues its march. Time was there when Ozymandias ruled and when the statue was built. It continues even after Ozymandias dies and the statue crumbles. Time is there when the speaker meets the traveller, and will be there when both of them die as well. Shelley portrays time as infinite and inescapable. We can see that the permanent nature of time contrasts with the way human beings live their lives.