Which line serves as the final admonition about time's effect?

• A. Look on my works, ye mighty
• B. King of Kings
• C. Nothing beside remains
• D. Round the decay of that colossal wreck

Answer: (D)

Time’s power to erode human grandeur is made plain in the ending image. The line rounds off the poem with the stark scene: Round the decay of that colossal wreck, the lone and level sands stretch far away. It shows time and nature continuing beyond human achievements, leaving only ruin and emptiness as the desert expands, so the boastful monument is revealed as ultimately fleeting. The earlier lines establish the claim to greatness, but the final line delivers the admonition: time undermines all glory.