"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!".
Poetry Thinking and Marking.
1. The speaker of the poem is a man who admires a certain woman's beauty. The audience of the poem is probably the speaker himself, who is thinking aloud about the beauty of this special woman. The situation of this poem is that the author is thinking about a woman whose beauty (both internal and external) is exquisite and exceptional.
2. The structure of this poem is mainly a iambic tetrameter. Every line in the poem contains 8 syllables, except for line 6, which contains 9 syllables. The difference in the number of syllables in line 6 emphasizes the power of heaven in her and how her beauty may be beyond that of heaven. Punctuation is used fairly normally throughout the poem. However, sentences in this poem are long, for there are only 3 sentences throughout. Enjambment occurs throughout the poem as sentences go beyond the line length. All the end rhymes in this poem are masculine rhymes and follow the rhyme scheme of ababab cdcdcd efefef. The beginning of every line is capitalized, despite the fact the fact that the start of most lines isn't the start of a new sentence.
3. The diction employed in this poem are all simple, thus emphasizing the purity and innocence of this girl. The main imagery and symbol used is of light and darkness.
