1. Activity A Activity B Activity C Activity D Activity E Activity F
She Walks in Beauty
– by Lord Byron–
Choose a task
This is a poem written about a beautiful dark haired woman seen by the poet at an evening party. She wore a black dress decorated with starry spangles. This woman had a significant and moving impact on the poet.
Activity A
Activity B
Activity C
Activity D
Activity E
Activity F

2. Activity A She Walks in Beauty – by Lord Byron–
Lord Byron is a Romantic poet. What would the term Romanticism mean to the poets of the 19th century and how is this shown in the poem?
Menu
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:
That 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!
How does the poet show that the woman is beautiful in appearance and in her personality? Underline words and phrases that suggest this?
Click to highlight in red.
Is he is looking more in admiration than desire and therefore are some features Romantic, rather than than romantic?

3. Activity B Hawk Roosting – by Ted Hughes–
How does Byron use both comparison and contrast in the first stanza and for what purpose?
Menu
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:
That 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!
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:
That mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
Look at the use of light and dark in this stanza. What does the poet suggest best suits the lady and why?
Click to highlight in blue.
Does he imply that she is part of both states?

4. Activity C She Walks in Beauty – by Lord Byron–
In this stanza where and why does the poet move from the description of her grace and beauty to the study of her innocent and pure mind?
Menu
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:
That 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!
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:
That 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.
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:
That 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.
What does the enjambment in the first four lines help the reader to focus upon?
Click to highlight in red
The last two lines move to something almost holy. How does the poet do this?
What other device is used to suggest peace and harmony?
Click to highlight in blue.

5. Activity D She Walks in Beauty – by Lord Byron–
How is the woman presented here? What is Byron emphasising in his description of her?
Menu
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:
That 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!
Select some of the words he uses to present the whole picture of this particular woman.
How do they suggest she is unique and prefect in every way?
Click to highlight in red, blue, yellow and green to highlight some features for discussion.

6. Activity E She Walks in Beauty – by Lord Byron–
Does the form and structure of the poem help to convey how the poet feels about the subject?
Menu
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:
That 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!
How do the figures of speech and stylistic features like assonance and alliteration help us understand the lasting impression that the woman has made on the poet and the reader?
Look at the rhyme scheme and the ordered look of the 3 stanzas. Why is the use of enjambment important here?
Is there any passion here or is it simply wonder that he feels (look at the exclamation mark) and how is this conveyed in the way it is written? Look at the use of repetition.

7. Activity F She Walks in Beauty – by Lord Byron–
The poem is written in third person. Does this work here or would first person have been a better way to express how Byron feels about her?
Menu
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:
That 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!
Think about Byron’s audience and the time in which it is written. Is beauty more than physical? Is it more effective from the perspective of a watcher rather than a lover?
Think about a modern reader and modern ideas of beauty. Would this poem have the same effect today?
Why is nature so important here as he connects it with the lady ?
What are your own thoughts and feelings? Try and put what Byron feels into your own words.