Lord Byron was a well known Romantic poet of the Second Generation. He led a controversial life and was extremely popular as well. His Romanticism was very different and deviated from the essence of real Romanticism . He is famous for his famous epic “The Childe Harold’s pilgrimage”. He wrote many satires till the end of his poetic career. His other famous works include “Don Juan” and “Manfred”. Byron is the most distinguished Romantic poet among the other Romantics.
“She Walks in Beauty” is considered to be written about Mrs. John Wilmont whom Byron saw at the party. He eventually wrote the poem after going back home. The poem is an amalgamation of sensuousness and Romantic essence where the poet transcends his subjective emotions through the external objects of nature. The poem is enriched with literary devices such as simile , alliteration , wits and conceited imagery that intrigues the parallel comparison to Greek ideal beauty. The Greeks celebrate the ideal love and beauty derived from the interior nature of an individual.
The poem shows the poet’s expression of the external beauty of a woman which is exaggerated with wits and conceited imagery. The simile in the poem highlights the comparison of the spontaneous movement of a lady to the “night” which is of “cloudless climes and starry skies”. The alliteration shrouds and heightens the poetic imagery of the external beauty of a woman who appears to be bright and beautiful like the constellations in the heavens and stars twinkling intriguing the poet. The wits and conceited imagery exaggerates the beauty which seems to be perfectly fit the lady as “of dark and bright”. The “dark and bright” are dissimilar entities but represent the beauty of “night” in nature one experiences where the “dark” arouses due to the diminishing sun and the “bright” portrays the twinkling stars and “starry skies”. He further highlights that these aspects of beauty is meet in her “aspect” and “eyes” which shows the perfect ideal beauty in contrast to the daylight which “heaven to gaudy day denies”.
In addition to this , Byron explains the beauty which is balanced and perfect in a woman which shrouds the tone of sensuousness . In the poem, the beauty of a lady is drawn out from the ideal beauty of her interior nature that transcends in her physical personality. He elucidates that her external reflection of her beauty is neither “shade the more” nor “ray the less” which could “half impaired the nameless grace” and is “in every raven tress”. The lines suggest the beauty in a balance state which is possible as the ideal realm of her inner heart is “pure”. He further means that the external beauty that she transcends sensually to the poet comes from her inner ideal beauty which is seen in her “thoughts serenely sweet express” and the poet ponders “how dear their dwelling place” suggestive of the interior nature of her personality or her family atmosphere.
However, he further elongates the spirit of ideal beauty which is of the inner aspect or divine beauty. The poet uses anti climax in the imagery to define the spontaneity of the transcendence beauty which is “So soft, so calm , yet eloquent”. The beauty reflects in her “cheek” and “brow” as well as the “smiles that win” or the “the tints that glow”. The lines and the other alliterative lines heightens the definition of the spontaneity and creates a balance of her external beauty which shows the the inward gaze “of days in goodness spent” and her “mind at peace” as well as her “heart whose love is innocent”. It reflects on the realm of ideal beauty which is within and inward that is being transcended on her personality. It is also an important element of Byron as a Romantic poet as he transcends the subjective flow of emotions through a mediator or natural aspects to bring forth the objective poetic expressions.
Summary of Byron By the Rivers of Babylon We Sat Down and Wept
Therefore in conclusion , the poem celebrates the ideal beauty of Greek in parallel comparison to Byron’s own subjective experiences. Byron explores the interior nature of a woman and expounds it to the natural aspects of beauty to bring a balance to the beauty. The poet’s ability to transcend the interior beauty to the definition of a physical beauty is the Romantic essence of Byron and his poetry and Byron was able to capture its form in the poem.
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