Beauty Redefined
If ever a woman would want a poem to be about her, it would be “She Walks in Beauty” by Lord Byron. The subject of this poem is a woman that he may or may not have known personally, but who obviously made quite the impression on him. Even though the poem tells very little of the woman’s actual physical characteristics (all we know is that she has black hair), as the title says, “She Walks in Beauty”, implying that wherever she went, beauty was with her.
Oddly enough, this woman’s beauty is not described as a bright, sunny day, but is compared to the dark night. In fact, he calls the day “gaudy” in comparison. I believe he was saying that her beauty was not obvious and typical, like a rainbow or a field of flowers, but more subtle and mysterious – one that could be missed if you didn’t take the time to look. Like the stars or moonlight make the night beautiful, but all some people see is darkness.
She is not all darkness, however, since he indicates that there is a balance of light and dark that gives her a “nameless grace”:
“And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and in her eyes;”
She is the best of both worlds; you can’t get much better than that!
But her beauty is not only that of physical attractiveness; this woman is beautiful on the inside, too. He writes of her face:
“Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.”
And later goes on to say,
“A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!”
He seemed to be as taken with her inner beauty, her peacefulness and pureness of heart, as much as anything else. She must have been quite striking to inspire such words from a poet normally not inclined to write about women in a pure, innocent way.
Lord Byron’s relationship with her is not known and, honestly, probably doesn’t matter. I read here the words of a man mesmerized, whether for a moment or a lifetime, by the character of a woman that made her beautiful to him. And isn’t that what true beauty really is…someone that captivates not only your eyes, but your heart as well? Lord Byron found her and in the lines of “She Walks in Beauty”, shared her with the world.