Ayuthaya

Going through the ruins of the ancient city of Ayuthaya reminds me of a Sonnet that we studied in High School.  “Ozymandias” which was written by Percy Bysshe Shelley.  Ayuthaya was the capital of Thailand and it was destroyed many times because of War.  Eventually the emperor of Siam ( Thailand’s old name )  transferred the capital to Bangkok.

This is the Sonnet of Shelley.  As you read it – you may actually be reminded of Egypt.  I have not been to Egypt so the closest experience I’ve had is Ayuthaya.

Ozymandias

I met a traveler from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
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.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
`My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away".