SHE WALKS IN BEAUTY

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!

1- Is there any rhyme in the poem? Find the rhyme scheme it follows. Identify stanza
form as well.
The rhyme scheme is: ABABAB-CDCDCD-EFEFEF and the Stanza form is: Sestet.

2- The popular conceptions describe beauty as brilliant and radiant, but that is not the
case in this poem. How could you explain so?
The poet uses the elements of the night to describe the beauty of the lady. Human are
so accustomed to see only the day(day-light) as something beautiful and they have
forgotten that sometimes night’s landscapes can be more beautiful than anything. /
The light of the night would not be as bright as the day-light. However, it does not
mean that it isn’t bright

3- Contrary to the previous statement in question 2, what “lightens” or “brightens” the

lady in the poem?
the “light” of the moon brightens the lady
4- What aspects of the lady are being highlighted in the poem? Physical beauty? Inner
beauty? Explain
In my opinion, the physical beauty is the only beauty described in the poem.

5- Find and explain some rhetorical figures in the poem: metaphor, juxtaposed concepts
(opposites), anaphora, etc.

L1,18: Metaphor and Simile

L3,L7: Juxtaposed concepts

WHEN WE TWO PARTED

When we two parted A

In silence and tears, B

Half broken-hearted A

To sever for years, B

Pale grew thy cheek and cold, C

Colder thy kiss; D

Truly that hour foretold C

Sorrow to this. D

The dew of the morning E

Sunk chill on my brow— F

It felt like the warning E

Of what I feel now. F

Thy vows are all broken, G

And light is thy fame; H

I hear thy name spoken, G

And share in its shame. H

They name thee before me, I

A knell to mine ear; J

A shudder comes o’er me— I

Why wert thou so dear? J

 They know not I knew thee, K

Who knew thee too well— L

Long, long shall I rue thee, K

Too deeply to tell. L

In secret we met— M

In silence I grieve, N

That thy heart could forget, M

Thy spirit deceive. N

If I should meet thee K

After long years, B

How should I greet thee?— K

With silence and tears. B

1- Analyse form: Stanza form, rhyme and meter

a pair of quatrains per stanza – Octave (ABABCDCD – EFEFGHGH – IJIJKLKL – MNMNKBKB)

Meter: Dimeter in the first 4 lines of each stanza, then there’s mixture of trimeter and
dimeter. However, the meter in the last stanza is different.

2- You’ll find “foreshadowing” at the beginning of the poem. What is being foreshadowed?
How?

What is being foreshadowed is the pain that the speaker feels when thinking about his
lover

3- People gossip about the lady in the poem. How is that stated? What might the gossips
be about? What is the lady’s reputation like? Explain.

It is stated in L15 “I hear thy name spoken”

L13 “Thy vows are all broken” Se might have cheated on her husband and his lover
L16” And share in its shame” her name carries shame to herself and her family

4- What rhetorical questions does the speaker ask the lady? Why do you think he asks so?
Byron asks himself why he cared for his lover so much ('Why wert thou so dear?') ,
implying that he has a very different attitude to her now even though he is struggling to
change his feelings.
“How should I greet thee? - With silence and tears.” People didn’t know about their
relationship. That’s why he cannot show his emotions towards the lady when he is front of
other people.
5- What kind of relationship did these lovers have? Did the speaker love the lady? Is he
hurt now? Account for your answers.
He loves her. I’m not sure if she loves him. He is trying to overcome this relationship but
he’s still suffering,

6- What is the general tone of the poem? Explain.

sorrow, pain, Hopeless