She Walks in Beauty

'She Walks in Beauty' (1814) is a poem rich with symbols and complex in meaning. It features an idealized muse and serves as a vehicle for the expression of deep sentiment and feeling which Romantic poetry is known for.

'She Walks in Beauty': summary

Lord Byron was inspired to write ‘She Walks in Beauty’ after seeing Ann Beatrix Wilmot at a London party and being captivated by her beauty. The message of the poem can be interpreted as a statement on the nature of true beauty using this muse as an idealised model of perfection.

'She Walks in Beauty' is an example of Romantic poetry. This type of poetry is often characterized by its use of natural imagery, the expression of strong emotions, sensory descriptions, and the transcendental, all of which are present in this poem.

Fig. 1 - The woman in the poem is defined by her dark hair and fair skin.

'She Walks in Beauty': biographical context

Throughout his life, Byron had infatuations in which he idealised the objects of his affections. For example, as a boy he was enamoured with his cousin Mary Chaworth. Similarly, he was infatuated with the beauty of Ann Wilmott, who was the inspiration for this poem. In 'She Walks in Beauty', the subject is admired as an example of perfection.

When analysing ‘She Walks in Beauty’, a poem whose subject is presented as perfect in both character and appearance, it is worth considering Lord Byron’s personal views on women’s morality.

While personally engaging in numerous affairs with married women and often living a debauched lifestyle, he had a high moral standard for the idealised woman. Byron sent his youngest daughter to be educated at a Roman Catholic convent, and considered her unmarried mother to be a bad influence. He expressed the wish that she would grow up to be a respectable married woman.

In ‘She Walks in Beauty’, he chooses words with religious connotations to describe the subject’s inner qualities such as 'pure' and 'innocent', which could be interpreted as free from the Christian concept of sin.

'She Walks in Beauty': poem

'She Walks in Beauty': themes

The main themes in 'She Walks in Beauty' are the harmony of mind and body, ideal beauty, and perfection.

Fig. 2 - The speaker believes the woman's outward beauty is balanced with her inner goodness.

Harmony of mind and body

This poem draws upon the concept of physiognomy, wherein a person’s outward appearance reflects their personality and morality. The subject of the poem is presented as matching her outward beauty with inner goodness, creating a sense of harmony between mind and body. For example, in the final stanza, the poet describes the subject's calm appearance and pleasant smile, which hints at her sweet temperament, and a mind at peace.

Perfection

The theme of perfection runs throughout this short lyrical poem, with its muse remaining an idealised object of affection. Consider how she is presented as equally aesthetically perfect and morally perfect.

'She Walks in Beauty': poetic devices analysis

'She Walks in Beauty' is one of Lord Byron’s shortest poems. It consists of just three stanzas, which are each exactly six lines long (sestets). Note how each of the three stanzas are perfectly balanced in size, which reflects how the subject of the poem is presented as perfectly balanced in outward and inner beauty.

In his opening line, Byron compares the subject to the night: 'She walks in beauty, like the night / Of Cloudless climes and starry skies.' In doing so, he alludes to the opening line of Shakespeare’s famous sonnet 18 'Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?' However, in an original twist, he changes the comparison from day to night.

The content of the poem includes a wealth of Christian symbolism in its presentation of a woman who represents perfect inner and outer beauty. Similarly, the poem’s structure, consisting of three stanzas of equal length, could be interpreted as representing the Holy Trinity, three equally significant elements of God.

Rhyme and meter in 'She Walks in Beauty'

This poem is written in iambic tetrameter, which is a regular metric scheme. Its rhyme scheme is ABABAB, which is also highly regular.

'She Walks in Beauty': imagery and tone

Helped by both the subject matter and the regularity of the meter and rhyme, the tone of the poem is calm, rational, and deeply romantic. It is also consistent in its praise of the subject; there is not a single criticism of her looks or imagined personality.

Lord Byron uses contrasting imagery of day and night throughout the poem relate to the woman’s physical attractiveness as a result of the balance of light and dark in her features, such as her dark hair and light skin. The contrasting imagery also reflects the harmony created by this balance of light and dark.

'She Walks in Beauty': personification and metaphor

Byron uses the poetic devices of personification and metaphor in his poem.

In the final stanza, the poet gives human qualities to her cheek and her brow as they express calmness and a smile that 'wins,' thus highlighting the use of personification. Also, in lines 11 and 12, the poet suggests that the subject's thoughts 'dwell' in her mind, demonstrating the metaphor of how thoughts which dwell in the mind find expression on the face.

Word choice effect on emotional impact of 'She Walks in Beauty'

The language used in the poem is positive throughout, with the speaker describing his subject with words that have exclusively positive connotations. The appearance and personality of Byron's muse is described as 'serenely sweet' and as possessing a 'nameless grace'. His choice of words impresses upon the reader a sense of unparalleled admiration.

Among the words chosen to praise the muse, there is a lexical set of words associated with Christian spirituality such as 'goodness', 'serenely', 'pure, and 'innocent'. This symbolic language elevates the position of the subject of the poem further into the realm of angels and saints.

Consider how the poet uses a lexical set of physical features and a lexical set of moral characteristics to create a balance in his praise of both. In regard to the emotional impact of these word choices, this could help the reader to understand that the poet’s admiration for the subject of the poem is not simple lust or physical attraction.

Furthermore, the poet refers to the balanced qualities of light and dark present in the woman’s appearance. This continues an extended link to the importance of harmony present in the poem.

'She Walks in Beauty': symbols

The main symbols in 'She Walks in Beauty' are grace, light rays, heart, and cloudless.

• 'One shade the more, one ray the less,Had half impaired the nameless grace'.These lines illustrate the importance the poet places on harmony and balance for beauty. The subject of the poem has achieved the perfect balance of light and dark.

• 'A heart whose love is innocent!'Consider the effect of the exclamatory sentence mood here in expressing the depth of the poet’s emotion and convictions.

• 'Of cloudless climes and starry skies''Cloudless' could be interpreted in relation to both her appearance and character. No flaw of personality or physical blemish (such as a freckle, birthmark, or sunspot) hides or ruins her perfection.

• 'that tender light/ Which heaven to gaudy day denies.' This line further solidifies Lord Byron’s representation of his subject as possessing a transcendental, celestial beauty.