The final poem of the Remastered series for the academic year 2025-2026 combines the work of one of University College’s most celebrated alumni, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, with this exquisite reading by the college’s current poet laureate, Pireeni Dundaralingam. One of Shelley’s best-known poems, “Ozymandias” is a haunting remonstrance to those in power, across all times and places.

This poem is taken from “The Fellowship of the Ring,” the first book of Tolkien’s most well-known work, the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The poem is spoken by Bilbo Baggins, the aging custodian of the one ring, a terrible and enchanted object. He has finally given up his burden to the next generation and can grow old and reflect in peace. This vignette highlights the poem’s relatability beyond its original context, for anybody reflecting on their place in the world in a moment of quiet.

Emily Henrietta Hickey (1845-1924) was an Irish poet, writer, lecturer in English literature, and co-founder of the Browning Society. She developed an interest in Irish literature and poetry, leading her to connect with poets such as William Butler Yeats; she also converted to Catholicism in 1880’s and wrote much devotional or religious poetry. Sonnet is one of her works which combines classical themes with a woman’s perspective to reflect on mortality and its relationship to art.