I am posting one of my favorite poems today, called "She walks in beauty..."
I had this poem in my Radiant Readers textbook in 7th grade.... I was very curious about it and really wanted our teacher to teach this poem, because I hadn't understood it by myself... Unfortunately, our english teacher thought it was too romantic a poem for our age and skipped it!
But I came back to read this poem a few years later... and this time I understood it much more... and came to appreciate Byron's definition of beauty of his love:-
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
How amazing are these lines! He says... she is beautiful exactly as she is, and could not possibly be any more beautiful... in fact, even the smallest change in her will take away half her beauty... a beauty of such high proportions that he doesn't even know a way to describe it!...
Its an amazing read... take it away!
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 mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd 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!
- Lord Byron
I had this poem in my Radiant Readers textbook in 7th grade.... I was very curious about it and really wanted our teacher to teach this poem, because I hadn't understood it by myself... Unfortunately, our english teacher thought it was too romantic a poem for our age and skipped it!
But I came back to read this poem a few years later... and this time I understood it much more... and came to appreciate Byron's definition of beauty of his love:-
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd the nameless grace
How amazing are these lines! He says... she is beautiful exactly as she is, and could not possibly be any more beautiful... in fact, even the smallest change in her will take away half her beauty... a beauty of such high proportions that he doesn't even know a way to describe it!...
Its an amazing read... take it away!
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 mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair'd 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!
- Lord Byron
