She Walks in Beauty

Summary

She Walks in Beauty is a short lyric of three six-line stanzas that Byron wrote in June 1814 and published the following year in Hebrew Melodies, a collection of songs set to music by the composer Isaac Nathan. According to an early account, the poem was inspired by the sight of Byron's cousin by marriage, Mrs Anne Wilmot, at a London party, where she wore a black mourning dress brightened with spangles. The poem compares the lady not to the sun or a summer day, as many love poems do, but to the night of cloudless climes and starry skies. Her beauty is a balance of dark and bright, mellowed to a tender light that gaudy day cannot give. The second stanza says that one shade more or one ray less would have spoiled her nameless grace, which plays over her dark hair and face and shows that her thoughts are serene and sweet. The final stanza moves from her appearance to her character: her calm cheek and brow, her smiles and glowing colour tell of days in goodness spent, a mind at peace with all below, and a heart whose love is innocent. The poem is unusual among Byron's works for its stillness and purity; there is no irony, longing or complaint, only admiration. Its argument is that outward beauty can be the visible sign of inward goodness, so that the most beautiful thing about the lady is finally her virtue. The poem is written in iambic tetrameter with alternating rhymes, and its music suits its origin as a song. It is one of the most frequently memorised short poems in English and makes an excellent first introduction to Byron.

Top Lessons

• Beauty and goodness

  The poem moves from the lady's face to her mind and heart. True beauty is joined to virtue.

• Balance of light and dark

  The lady is beautiful because dark and bright are perfectly balanced, not because she is dazzling.

• Music in verse

  The poem was written to be sung, and its regular rhythm and rhyme make it easy to memorise.

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