FULL POEM - SCROLL DOWN FOR LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS
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 tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her 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!
LINE-BY-LINE ANALYSIS
STANZA 1
She walks in beauty, like the night
This simile adds mystery to the woman as the ‘night’ symbolises mystery and the unknown.
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
The alliteration of the imagery ‘cloudless climes’ and ‘starry skies’ adds a rhythmic beauty to the poem and with it a physical, almost divine, beauty to the woman.
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Byron’s description of her as the best of ‘dark’ and ‘bright’ is an oxymoron and gives her the qualities of beauty, pureness, and romance as well as the mystery and erotic elements signified by the darkness.
Meet in her aspect and her eyes;
Her eyes illustrate the ‘darkness’ and ‘brightness’ within her. The narrator is fascinated by how her physical existence hints at her personality.
Thus mellowed to that tender light
Byron depicts her beauty as a ‘tender light’. This is sensory imagery of touch and sight and the tenderness suggests a softness and radiance to the light which symbolises her beauty.
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
However, compared to the magnificence of the light which personifies her beauty the daylight does no longer seem beautiful but instead ‘gaudy’
STANZA 2
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
By adding more rays of sunshine or taking them away from her beauty it will ‘impair’ the perfect equilibrium she possesses and the ultimate beauty it brings. The ‘nameless grace’ is her beauty, as it’s ‘nameless’ he can’t quite put his finger on what it is that makes her beauty so strong and divine.
Which waves in every raven tress,
Byron compares her beauty to the natural world and the ‘trees’. This illustrates the natural, untouched nature of her beauty. ‘Raven’ is old English for devouring something – Byron is describing his craving for her beauty.
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
The light brightens her face and the convergence of the natural beauty of sunlight and her face creates a godly, divine image.
Where thoughts serenely sweet express,
Byron shifts to describing the beauty of her mind and thoughts. The adjective ‘serene’ portrays her thoughts as composed and tranquil while their ‘sweetness’ alludes to a youthful innocence and pureness of her mind.
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.
The ‘dwelling-place’ of her thoughts is her brain and just from looking into her eyes, Byron believes he can make out the untainted ‘pureness’ of her mind.
STANZA 3
And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
The Polysyndeton of ‘and’ is repeated in the 3rd stanza and emphasises her never-ending beauty as now he focuses on her also beautiful cheeks and forehead.
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
Again this line could be portraying her physical beauty and the ‘soft’ and ‘calm’ complexion of her cheeks and forehead. However, it could relate to her personality and ‘eloquent’ would suggest this.
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
Her ‘smiles’ are a physical reflection of her beauty within and the fact that they ‘win’ repeats the competition of the first stanza between her beauty and the daylights – again here the physical beauty of her smile and her personality it is a metaphor for is unbeatable.
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
Her beautiful mind is at one and totally matched with her physical ‘all below’ beauty.
A heart whose love is innocent!
The final line reiterates that Byron isn’t just attracted by her physical beauty but also her personality created by the ‘innocent’ love of her heart.
