She-Walks-in-Beauty-全英诗评

SheWalksinBeautybyLordByronShewalksinbeauty,likethenightOfcloudlessclimesandstarryskies;Andallthat'sbestofdarkandbrightMeetinheraspectandhereyes:ThusmellowedtothattenderlightWhichheaventogaudydaydenies.Oneshadethemore,oneraytheless,HadhalfimpairedthenamelessgraceWhichwavesineveryraventress,Orsoftlylightenso'erherface;WherethoughtsserenelysweetexpressHowpure,howdeartheirdwellingplace.Andonthatcheek,ando'erthatbrow,Sosoft,socalm,yeteloquent,Thesmilesthatwin,thetintsthatglow,Buttellofdaysingoodnessspent,Amindatpeacewithallbelow,Aheartwhoseloveisinnocent!GeorgeGordonByron(22January1788–19April1824)wasanEnglishpoetandaleadingfigureinRomanticism.HeisregardedasoneofthegreatestBritishpoetsandremainswidelyreadandinfluential,bothintheEnglish-speakingworldandbeyond.ThefirstimpressionthatGeorgeByron'sSheWalksinBeautygivesusisbeauty,whichisexactlythesubjectofthepoem.OntheeveningofJune11,1814,ByronattendedapartywithhisfriendattheLondonhome.AmongtheotherguestswasthewifeofByron’scousin,whowasnewlywidowedandworeablackmourninggownbrightenwithspangles.HerexquisitegoodlooksdazzledByronandinspiredhimtowrite“SheWalksinBeauty.”Thepoemusesimagesoflightanddarknessinteractingtodescribethewidespectrumofelementsinabeautifulwoman'spersonalityandlooks.Today,Iwillanalysis“SheWalksinBeauty”fromthepointofviewofstylistics.Thepoemfollowsabasiciambictetrameter.Thethreesix-linestanzasofthispoemallfollowthesamerhymeschemeandthesamemetricalpattern.Thereareonlysixrhymingsoundsinthiseighteen-linepoembecausetherhymeschemeflowsasABABABCDCDCDEFEFEF.Therhymingwordsthemselves,especiallyinthefirststanza,haveimportance:noticehownightrhymeswithitsopposites,lightandbright,inthesamewaythatthiswomancontainsthetwoopposingforcesinherparticulartypeofbeauty.Thepoemalsoshowsthatitislyricalwhichhelpstoputanemphasisonthemoodandtoneofbeautythatthewriteristryingtoleavewiththereader.Therearevariousexamplesofalliterationthroughoutthepoem.Inlinetwoitstates,Ofcloudlessclimesandstarryskies,inwhichthereisarepetitionofthessound.Thesecondstanzacontainsinsightintothedwellingplaceofthewoman'sthoughts,creatinganinsightintohermindbyusingalliteration.Therepetitionofthessoundsissoothinginthephraseserenelysweetexpress,becauseByronisreferringtoherthoughts,andherthoughtsaresereneandpure.Thewholepoemisfullofrhythm.Becausethepoetusestheenjambment,itmeansthatwedonotusepunctuationbetweenthefirstandthesecondlinesorthethirdandthefourthlines.Thisenjambmentcanattractreaderstopayattentiontosomewords,liketheword“meet”inthefourthline,whichhasbeenstrengthen.Moreover,therearelotsofsoftconsonantsandlongvowelinthispoem,suchas/w/,/i/,/m/andsoon.Thiswaymakesthepoemmoresoftandleisurely.Therearesomanyrhetoricaldevicesinthispoem.Similesappearinthefirstsentence“Shewalksinbeauty,likethenightofcloudlessclimesandstarryskies”,andthenappearspersonificationinthissentence“Andallthat'sbestofdarkandbrightmeetinheraspectandhereyes”,“meet”isusedtomodifypeopleandpeople,however,darkandbrightathere.Thenisemphasize,theauthorusesrepetitiontostresstheimportantmessages,like“Howpure,howdeartheirdwellingplace”and“Sosoft,socalm,yeteloquent”.Rhetoricaldevicescanmakethepoemaliveandpresentapicturerightbeforeoureyes.Toconclude,itisreallyabeautifulpoemwithperfectrhymeandlanguage,whichgivesreaderareallybeautifulimageofawoman.Afterhavingreadthispoemfortimes,IevencanimagewhatthewomanthatByronwasnarratingandhowbeautifulthatwomanis.Ievencanimagetheserene,peaceful,gentlesmileonherface.Icaneventouchthekindnessandinnocencedeepinthebeautifullady'sheart.Inaword,allIcanimageandfeelisonlyonethingthatisbeauty,whichisthesubjectthepoetexpectedtoexpress.Now,abeautifulladyiswalkingtous.