Ahoy! It’s time to start the Jar
of Dirt’s latest voyage in earnest!
And where are we venturing to
first? It seems that the tides of British Literature are carrying us towards
the work of Lord Byron, the famous – or, in the eyes of some, infamous – late eighteenth
and early nineteenth century poet. Byron, famous for a great many of his poetic
works, is also noted for creation of what has come to be known as the “Byronic
Hero,” a romantic figure who – much like himself – was often dark and brooding,
full of noble angst and a kind of glorious melancholy.
While there are any number of
works which we could be focusing on for the purposes of this voyage, the
literary seas have brought us to a particular poem of Byron’s, “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!
Much
like Byron’s eponymous romantic hero, “She Walks in Beauty” is filled with a
kind of dark elegance. In this particular poem, Byron, interestingly enough,
casts darkness itself as a thing of beauty, contrasting greatly with the common
idea of darkness as something to be feared, something almost evil. This is done
in the poem’s opening line, “She walks in beauty, like the night,” immediately
establishing the beauty – even the goodness – of the night, of darkness. The
alliteration of “cloudless climes” and “starry skies” found in the next line
serves to draw increased attention to imagery which further serves to reinforce
the idea of beautiful darkness. Also in this first stanza, an almost profound
longing is expressed through the statement that “All that’s best of dark and
bright/Meet in her aspect and her eyes,” indicating that the “she” who is the
subject of the speaker’s attention is a veritable well of goodness, the best of
everything, possessed of an almost ethereal kind of beauty – characterized by a
“tender light” – which heaven denies even to “gaudy day.”
In
the second stanza of the poem, the numerous instances of alliteration
(beginning with “h,” then going on to “w” and then “r”) in the lines “Had half
impaired the nameless grace/Which waves in every raven tress” continue to
expand on the initial idea of darkness being beautiful. The alliteration draws
attention of descriptive language and specific word usage which adds a further
element of grace to the idea of the night, of darkness. Further alliteration in
the lines “Where thoughts serenely sweet express,/How pure, how dear their dwelling
place” also suggests, through the initial simile of the “she” at the center of
the poem being “like the night,” that the night – or darkness – like the lady
being focused on, can be something calm and almost wholesome.
In
the final stanza, the poem seems to turn in terms of tone. The imagery of
darkness disappears entirely, causing the tone of the poem to rather brooding
undertone present in the prior stanzas. The imagery turns, the choice of such
phrases as “The smiles that win, the tints that glow,” as well as the final two
lines, “A mind at peace with all below,/A heart whose love is innocent!”
conveying much warmer, brighter feelings, a more conventional brand of longing
and happiness than was seen previously in the poem, the first two stanzas
tinted with a hint of contented melancholy.
***
Well,
it seems that the first chapter of our voyage has come to an end. I hope you
enjoyed today’s leg of the journey – we’ll sail again soon!
Until
next time!
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