Answer:
In the poem "Ozymandias" by Percy Bysshe Shelley, the words on the pedestal of Ozymandias's statue are ironic because they contrast sharply with the ruined and decaying state of the statue. The inscription boasts of Ozymandias's power and grandeur, but the state of the statue and its surroundings tell a different story. The irony lies in the fact that the inscription claims that Ozymandias's works will endure forever, but in reality, they have crumbled to dust. This serves to underscore the theme of the impermanence of human achievements and the transience of power.