She Walks in Beauty
Page 718 in Literature Book
Lord Byron
I chose to use the poem “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron because it is a romantic love poem. The poem is also very easy to understand the meaning and significance. It is obvious that this poem is a love poem. Where Lord Byron expresses how beautiful a woman is as he looks at her. Byron explains that she combines opposites into perfect proportions in looks and personality. I believe it is up to the reader to decide whether he felt true love for this woman or just thought that she was admirable. Since the poem was about his cousin, Mrs. Wilmot, when they met at a party in a mourning dress of spangled black, I do not believe that the poem was about his true love for that woman.
The rhyme scheme pattern in Lord Byron’s poem is very basic. Byron’s rhyme scheme closely resembles the Shakespearean sonnet. In “She Walks in Beauty” he uses the rhyme scheme, ababab cdcdcd efefef. There are three stanzas in this poem. Each stanza having six lines. This type of poem, and the majority of Lord Byron’s poetry are about love. Throughout this love poem Gordon uses plenty of imagery. Even though this poem is one of Byron’s shorter poems it is still filled with plenty of imagery. Byron describes night (as darkness) and bright stars (as light) in comparison to that woman. Making her create opposites into her beauty. Gordon mainly describes the woman as light and dark coming together as one in her appearance. Also, when he says, Meet in her aspect and her eyes, the eyes are mainly associated with the persons soul to reveal there heart. Byron says that she is perfectly proportioned with lightness and darkness, anymore or any less would make her “half impaired.”
On the first line of this poem Lord Byron uses a metaphor. He says, “she walks in beauty, like the night.” Meaning he thinks that the woman is as beautiful as the night. Even though there is only one metaphor throughout this poem, there is plenty of...