"Ozymandias" (pronounced /ˌɒzɪˈmændi.əs/) is a sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley, published in 1818. It is frequently anthologized and is probably Shelley's most famous short poem. It was written in competition with his friend Horace Smith, who wrote another sonnet entitled "Ozymandias" (for which see below).
In addition to the power of its themes and imagery, the poem is notable for its virtuosic diction. The rhyme scheme of the sonnet is unusual and creates a sinuous and interwoven effect. The central theme of "Ozymandias" is the inevitable decline of all men, and of the empires they build, however mighty in their own time.