Question

Why do you think Shelley frames this poem with “I met a traveler from an antique lane who said..”?

Answer 1

Answer:

If this question that you have to answer why you personally think Shelly uses the info that she met a traveler.... then, she did not see it with her own eyes.  She met someone along the way that reveals the information to her.  It's all dead now and gone.  The village, the people, and the King are all dead and gone.

Explanation:

She did not see it with her own eyes and had a conversation with someone who has seen it.