2.7 She Walks in Beauty (Appreciation)

 

English Poem Appreciations 12th HSC Board
Section Two (Poetry)

Unit 2.7

She Walks in Beauty

She Walks in Beauty

                            - George 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 mellowed to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,

Had half impaired the nameless grace

Which waves in every raven trees,

Or softly lightens o'er face;

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,

But tell of days in goodness spent,

A mind at peace with all below,

A heart whose love is innocent!

                                 - George Byron

Q.  With the help of the following points, write a poetic appreciation of the poem      'She Walks in Beauty.'

• About the poem/poet and the title

• The theme

• Poetic style

• The language/ poetic devices used in the poem    

• Special features

• Message, values, morals in the poem

• Your opinion about the poem

 

Appreciation of the poem :-

She Walks in Beauty

The title 'She Walks in Beauty' of the poem is also the first line of the poem, which gives the reader a glimpse of the woman whose beauty the poet appreciated. It is written by George Byron, known simply as Lord Byron was a famous English romantic poet and also a Satirist.

It is a short lyrical poem celebrating female beauty. The poet describes an unnamed woman who is exceptionally striking. The poet not only describes her external appearance but also her inner goodness which makes her so attractive. This 18-line lyrical poem consists of three stanzas of six lines each i.e Sestets. The main theme explored by the poet is that of beauty, where he praises a woman. Each feature of the woman- her eyes, her face, her cheek, her brow, her smile- is praised. The poet speaks of harmony between day and night and the perfect balance between mind and the body. The main symbolism in the poem is that the poet presents the woman as someone who is a symbol of purity and innocence. The poem follows a regular rhyme scheme of 'ababab'. The language used by the poet is rich and complex. The poet uses several poetic devices like Simile, Antithesis, Repetition, Alliteration, Exclamation, Synecdoche, Metaphor, Transferred Epithet, Metaphor to express the undefinable beauty of the poem. The message is about the importance of inner beauty, which is almost a divine thing that will in turn, bring external beauty.

I like the poem because the poet's depiction of woman's outer beauty being linked to inner beauty create a powerful impact on the reader's mind, thus making them understand the absolute meaning of being beautiful.

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