Analysis of the poem "She Walks in Beauty" by Byron
Thomas M. Miovas, Jr.
all rights reserved 1993
She walks in beauty, like the night\
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;\
[Byron is comparing the aura of beauty of this woman to a starry sky. The
observation of stars on a very clear evening gives one the impression
of great depth and mystery. There are all those bright spots so far, far away
-- what are they?]
And all that's best of dark and bright\
[The quality of mystery of the heavens.]
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;\
[Women with dark eyes have this same quality of mystery. One can look into
their eyes and get the feeling of peering into something very deep; but one
can also see the spark of intelligence, which is aptly compared to the
glitter of stars in the night sky. Look up the word "aspect" in your
dictionary and see how many different ways Byron uses this word in the context
of this poem.]
Thus mellowed to that tender light\
[She's well matured, as in a good wine (which may also imply that she is
"unsampled"); and has a delicate character, which becomes evident by looking
into her eyes.]
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.\
[One does not see the stars in daylight, and , therefore, there is no mystery
to be observed; so she is not very a very overt person.]
{Note how the ending rhymes convey these comparisons:
night\skies\bright\eyes\light\denies\.}
One shade the more, one ray the less\
[But she's not completely mysterious, either.]
Had half impaired the nameless grace\
["Grace" is a Christian term, though Byron does not identify which one he is
referring to (see my historic note ).]
Which waves in every raven tress,\
Or softly lightens o'er her face;\
[Not only does she have dark eyes, she has black wavy hair, which is long
enough to touch her face. Also, this "nameless grace," is evident through her
facial expressions.]
Where thoughts serenely sweet express\
How pure, how dear their dwelling place.\
[If one reads "pure" and "dear" as meaning "having a light complexion," then
we have another physical description of the woman. Also, hair lives on the head,
the seat of intelligence. Given the fact that this woman has dark hair and
a light complexion, one is reminded of the contrast of the velvet black of a
cloudless night to the glitter of stars alluded to in the first stanza.]
{Again, note how the ending rhymes convey this information:
less\grace\tress\face\express\place\.}
And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,\
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,\
[She not only has a light complexion, but is in good physical condition; and she
*is* intelligent. We can begin to assess the character of the woman as being
demure, as in "So soft, so calm." The first meaning of "demure," according to my
dictionary, is: "shy and modest, reserved."]
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,\
[This refers to the second meaning of "demure": "coyly decorous or sedate," where
"coy" means "artfully or affectedly shy or reserved" and "sedate" means
"undisturbed by passion or excitement." In other words, she uses her intelligence
to apply her make-up, and makes facial expressions intended to gain the attention
of would-be suitors, without being overt about it.]
But tells of days in goodness spent,\
["Goodness" has to mean by a Christian standard, keeping in mind that "nameless
grace." She is indeed a demure woman, since she does not bed down all those
would-be suitors.]
A mind at peace with all below\
[Again, the Christian code is alluded to: the view of the world that man's earthly
(i.e. below heaven) passions are the result of having a physical body. This woman
accepts the "burden" of her physical being with grace, that "nameless grace" Byron
refers to earlier: Chastity. (As a historic note, the original Christian graces
were: Faith, Hope, Charity, and Love. Later, Augustine claimed that Chastity was
implied; thus it was the unnamed grace.]
A heart whose love is innocent!\
[This reflects Platonic love, and re-affirms the character of the woman as demure.]
{Again, note how the ending rhymes help to bring to mind these observations:
brow\eloquent\glow\spent\below\innocent.\}
[In this reading, some historic knowledge is necessary, but Byron had a two thousand
year history of Christianity to take for granted. (This ends our Bible lesson for
the day, you can go back to being Objectivists, now ;) .]
