The poem, "She Walks in Beauty," by Lord Byron praises the
beautiful woman that is the subject of the poem. It is believed that Byron himself may
be the narrator, and that he is writing about his cousin by marriage, who is dressed in
mourning.
The woman is beautiful, like a cloudless night
filled with stars, and a rival to the beauty of the day, which seems gaudy when compared
to her. She is graceful, too. Byron makes note of the "raven tresses" that frame her
face. He also describes that her thoughts are "sweetly" manifested, on a pure and dear
face.
Where thoughts serenely sweet
express,
How pure,
how dear their
dwelling-place.
Byron goes
on to say that she is well-spoken (eloquent), calm and soft. Her smile is genuine and
winning. However, Byron provides even more valuable characteristics of this woman that
exist beneath her outward appearance. Her smile indicates that
under her beautiful exterior, there is an inner beauty: she has spent her days
performing acts of goodness, she has at peaceful with the world, and within, her heart
is unblemished—her love is
innocent.
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!
With all of this said, if I were to
write a thesis statement, I would concentrate on Byron's praise not only of this woman's
outward beauty, but of the beauty that dwells within as well. For she is not only
gorgeous to look at, but that which makes up her personality and the characterization of
how she interacts with the world is just as lovely. Outward beauty is passing, but inner
beauty is timeless.
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