"She Walks in Beauty"

by: Lord Byron

She walks in beauty, like the night   

 Of cloudless climes and starry skies; 

And all that 's best of dark and bright   

 Meet in her aspect and her eyes: 

Thus mellow'd to that tender light         5  

 Which heaven to gaudy day denies. 

One shade the more, one ray the less,   

 Had half impair'd the nameless grace 

Which waves in every raven tress,   

 Or softly lightens o'er her face;  10

Where thoughts serenely sweet express   

 How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.  

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,   

 So soft, so calm, yet eloquent, 

The smiles that win, the tints that glow,  15  

 But tell of days in goodness spent, 

A mind at peace with all below,   

 A heart whose love is innocent! 

TPCASTT

Title: The poem will be about the beauty of a woman.

Paraphrase:

A woman walks beautifully like a night

 Without clouds and with stars;

And all that is good and bad

 Are in her and her eyes:

Free of harshness in this light

 Which cannot compare to the gaudy daylight.

One shadow more, or one highlight less,

 Would hinder the beauty of her grace

Which is seen from the strands in her hair

 To the light on her face;

Where her calm thoughts show

 How pure and dear their owner is.

And on her cheek, and on her brow,

 Her thoughts are serene and soft,

Her smile and her glow

 Say that her days are good,

Her mind is at peace with everything,

 Her heart is pure and innocent!

Connotation:

From the very first line, Byron uses contrast in describing this woman who is beautiful “like the night”. Unlike many other works where beauty connotes light and radiance, Byron compares the beauty of this woman to the night “of cloudless climes and starry skies”. The contrast between the lightness in the stars and the dark night contributes to the beauty of this nameless woman, showing the pulchritude of this woman both in her flaws and her perfections.

The alliteration of “Thus mellowed to that tender light” builds up the intensity in order to lead into the next line where the woman’s beauty is one “which heaven to gaudy day denies”. The repetition of the hard D consonant in this line is utilized by Byron to contrast and emphasize how this woman’s internal radiance is greater than that of nature.

In the second stanza, Byron focuses on flawlessly balanced the woman is by using an anaphora. He says that if “one shade the more, one ray the less,” this “nameless grace” would be hindered of her beauty. 

Contrast in the woman’s appearance is seen again in the second stanza. Byron compares this woman’s “raven tress[s]” and the paleness of her face, again showing both the woman’s character and her perfected balance in dark and light.

The use of alliteration at the end of the second stanza connotes the thoughts of the woman. With the soft S consonant, the image that Byron conjures for this woman’s inner being is sweet and serene like her countenance. He even says “how pure, how dear their dwelling-place”, reiterating his inner thoughts that this woman’s pure mind reflect in her being and character.

Byron uses repetition of words and word order in the third stanza to again emphasize the balance of the beauty of this woman. Through the rearrangement of the same words, Byron finally states that she has “a mind at peace with all below, / A heard whose love is innocent!” This last couplet sums up the internal beauty of this woman.

Attitude: The attitude of this poem is earnest. The speaker of this poem is sincerely attracted to this beautiful woman.

Shifts: The shifts in the poem occur in lines 11 and lines 16. These lines shift from talking about the physical beauty of this woman to the internal beauty.

Title: This poem is about the overall beauty of a woman. Not only is she physically beautiful, but also she is internally beautiful.

Theme: Beauty is not just of appearance but of heart as well.

Point of View: The point of view is third person omniscient.

Biographical Critical Perspective:

This poem was inspired by Lord Byron’s first encounter with his cousin, Anne Wilmot. She wore a black dress that had a layer of spangles, reflected in Byron’s poem when he says that the “nameless” woman is beautiful “like the night/ of cloudless climes and starry skies”. The origin of the light and dark contrasts throughout the poem is also said to be where Byron first met Wilmot. She was in mourning, and her dark state of her being and her clothes also contrasts with the apparent beauty that Byron saw in her. Despite the darkness that enshrouded her, he saw that her beauty was accentuated and was not hindered.

Based off of the poem, the pure attraction and love that Byron had for Wilmot is reflected through the form of the poem. Using the repetition of both harsh and soft consonants, the contrasts enhance the image of Wilmot’s flawless beauty and character. Even the iambic tetrameter, which is usually used for hymns, emulates the simplicity and sincerity of Lord Byron’s intentions and love for Wilmot.