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English 12 Honors
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Romantic Poet #3: George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824)
In his life Lord Byron lived large and wild, cultivating a reputation as "Mad, bad and dangerous to
know,"1 as one of his many lovers put it. He was famous for his devastating good looks and his
scandalous personal life. He gorged himself on pleasures and grew disillusioned with all life by his 23rd
birthday. He cycled through friends and lovers, tiring of them quickly and pining desperately for those he
couldn't have. He lived everywhere and yet was at home nowhere. His was a short, tumultuous and daring
life, but his legacy lives on in some of the most beautiful poems in the English language.
Byron was considered so "dangerous to know" that he eventually left Great Britain for continental
Europe, where people were less uptight and judgmental about his tumultuous love life. He decided to
leave Britain after his wife filed for an official separation in 1816. This separation was a much bigger deal
in 1816 than it would be nowadays, when divorces are relatively common things. There were rumors that
Byron abused his wife, that he had affairs with various actresses, that he was bisexual, and even that he
had an incestuous affair with his half-sister, August Leigh.
Byron ended up settling down near Geneva, in Switzerland. That's where he met poet Percy Bysshe
Shelley, and Shelley's soon-to-be wife, Mary Godwin (a.k.a. Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein).
Byron's love affairs didn't cease when he left England – he ended up having an affair with Mary Shelley's
stepsister, Claire Clairmont, and had an illegitimate daughter with her.
He was only 36 when he died – he caught a fever when he was in Greece, helping to fight for Greek
independence from Turkey. Although his name was mud in England for a while after he died, he was
eventually celebrated as a freedom fighter as well as one of the Romantic period's greatest poets.
Schmoop Editorial Team. “Lord Byron.” Shmoop. Shmoop Univeristy, Inc. 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
She Walks in Beauty: In A Nutshell
"She Walks in Beauty" is an eighteen-line poem, but despite its relative brevity, "She Walks in Beauty"
has become one of the most well-known and easily recognized poems written by Byron. It was penned in
1814 and published in 1815 in a volume of poems called Hebrew Melodies. As the name of the volume
suggests, the poems in that volume were written to be set to music. They were originally set to traditional
Jewish tunes by composer Isaac Nathan, but several other composers have attempted it since then as well.
Why Should I Care?
"She Walks in Beauty" is not a love poem. Sure, it's a celebration of a woman's beauty, but the speaker
never says he's in love with her. He just thinks she's really, really gorgeous. So, what is so special about
this particular poem? There are plenty of songs out there about beautiful women, from The Beatles to
Oren Lavie. But Byron did it first, and did a pretty awesome job.
Schmoop Editorial Team. “She Walks in Beauty.” Shmoop. Shmoop Univeristy, Inc. 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 13 Jan.
2016.
She Walks in Beauty
By Lord Byron
She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
2 climes: regions; climates
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
4 aspect: appearance
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!
9 tress: lock of hair
Discussion Questions
1. What words and images do you associate with beauty?
2. Why do so many people think of this as a love poem, when the speaker never once
mentions being in love? Do you think Byron was declaring his love for the woman or
simply stating her beauty? Give evidence to support your answer.
3. Why does the poet compare the woman to "night" instead of to "day"? What does this
image suggest about her character?
4. The poem emphasizes that the woman's beauty has to do with the harmonious blending of
light and dark in her features. Highlight all words associated with darkness in one color
and all words associated with light in another color. Does the speaker believe one is
better than the other? Why or why not, and how can you tell? What is Byron suggesting
about the woman through these references to darkness and light?
5. Do Byron’s words create a traditional image of beauty?
6. What is Byron’s message in this poem?
Quote Match
_______ “thoughts serenely sweet, / How pure, how dear their dwelling place.”
_______ “The smiles that win, the tints that glow, / But tell of days in goodness spent…”
_______ “A mind at peace with all below…”
_______ “…all that’s best of dark and bright / Meet in her aspect and her eyes…”
_______ “…the nameless grace / Which waves in every raven tress…”
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Her beauty is impossible to define but is apparent in every part of her.
She does not judge those who are beneath her.
Her appearance achieves perfect balance between darkness and light.
She is dazzling and is a genuinely good and honest character.
Her thoughts are pure and untarnished.
Song Connection
Read the lyrics to both versions of Just the Way You Are by Billy Joel and Bruno Mars,
respectively. What is the message of these songs? How are their messages similar to that of the
poem? Which artist does the best job of conveying his message? Explain.
Song Connection
Just the Way You are
Just the Way You Are
By Billy Joel
By Bruno Mars
Don't go changing to try and please me
You never let me down before
Don't imagine you're too familiar
And I don't see you anymore
Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're
not shining
Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying
She's so beautiful
And I tell her everyday.
I wouldn't leave you in times of trouble
We never could have come this far
I took the good times; I'll take the bad times
I'll take you just the way you are
Don't go trying some new fashion
Don't change the color of your hair
You always have my unspoken passion
Although I might not seem to care
I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are
I need to know that you will always be
The same old someone that I knew
What will it take till you believe in me
The way that I believe in you?
I said I love you and that's forever
And this I promise from the heart
I could not love you any better
I love you just the way you are
Yeah, I know, I know when I compliment her, she
won't believe me
And it's so, it's so sad to think that she doesn't see
what I see
But every time she ask me do I look okay?
I say
When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
'Cause you're amazing
Just the way you are1
And when you smile
The whole world stops and stares for a while
'Cause girl, you're amazing
Just the way you are1
Her lips, her lips, I could kiss them all day if she'd let
me
Her laugh her laugh, she hates but I think it's so sexy
She's so beautiful
And I tell her everyday
Oh, you know, you know, you know I'd never ask
you to change
If perfect's what you're searching for, then just stay
the same
So don't even bother asking if you look okay
You know I'll say
When I see your face
There's not a thing that I would change
'Cause girl you're amazing
Just the way you are
And when you smile
The whole world stops and stares for a while
'Cause girl, you're amazing
Just the way you are