Love of beauty in poems

汪菁

【Abstract】Beauty has often been used as the subject of poems. Through the analysis of Shakespeares “Sonnet 18” and Byrons “She walks in beauty”， its easy to see the poets deep love towards beauty and their poems beauty. No matter what kind of methods are used and what kind of style the poets belong to， the wonderful descriptions of beauty always come from the poets true appreciation of it.

【Key words】beauty； William Shakespeare； Lord Byron； poem； true appreciation

I. Introduction

Through the ages， beauty has been used as the subject of writing. A lot of famous poets have once described their love towards beauty in their works. William Shakespeare and Lord Byron are typical representatives.

William Shakespeare， the English poet， playwright， and actor from late 16th to early 17th century， was widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in history. He is famous mainly for his poems and dramas. It was said that Shakespeare once wrote 126 sonnets to a young man with marvelous beauty， and “Sonnet 18” is the most famous one among them.

Lord Byron， who lived from late 18th to early 19th century， was an English poet， politician and a leading figure in the Romantic Movement. William Plomer pointed out that “Byron joined the Greek War of Independence fighting the Ottoman Empire， for which many Greeks revere him as a national hero” （1）. He played a vital important role in the development of romanticism. Besides， as a romanticism poet， he freely expressed his love towards beauty in his poems， and “She walks in beauty” is one representative.

These two brilliant poets not only showed their love towards beauty in their works， but also let readers know the poems themselves can also be written perfectly and beautifully. There are both beauty of human beings and beauty of art.

II. Beauty in the poems

In “Sonnet 18”， William Shakespeare unreservedly showed his appreciation towards his friends beauty. In the first line， Shakespeare used a rhetorical question as a start. He compared his friend to the summers day， although his friend tended to be more beautiful and much kinder. From the third line to the eighth line， Shakespeare described the severe fact that summer was short and it would disappear one day. Then the whole poems turning point came. From the ninth line to the last line， Shakespeare emphasized that his friends beauty would exist forever in his poem.

Jungman said that in “sonnet 18” “William Shakespeare reminds his friend that although physical beauty inevitably disappears， his friend will exist in an ‘eternal summer by means of the poet's ‘eternal lines” （18）. Shakespeare enjoyed his friends beauty and he would let the beauty remain forever by lines. How confident the poet was that he thought his friends beauty could exist forever with his poem.

In the poem， summer is chosen as the comparison target. At the first line， a question is raised and that young man is compared to the summers day which is lovely and temperate. Later， from the second line to the eighth line， some defects of summer are raised. Summers beauty is short and unstable. By contrast， that young mans summer of life wont fade. Simile is used in the poem. The sun is referred to the eye of heaven， and using the word “his” can also show the method of personification. Meanwhile， this sonnet is a typical Shakespearian sonnet with fourteen lines in amidic pentameter， including three quatrains and one couplet. Furthermore， repetitions of the same words can also be found in some lines， such as the “And” used in the line 6 and 7， the “Nor” in line 10 and 11， the “so long” in line 13 and 14. Those factors make the whole poem sound more melodious. Obviously， the beauty of the sonnet 18 exists both in the content and writing methods.

As for “She walks in beauty”， Byron depicted a kind ladys charm in it. Noel said “in a ball he saw ‘for the first time Anne Beatrix， beautiful wife of his cousin Robert John Wilmot” （21） and “she is supposed to have been in mourning， with spangles in her dress （or hair）” （21）. According to Cummings， Byron “was struck by her unusual beauty， and the next morning the poem was written” （1）.

In the poem， that ladys physical beauty is vividly described， and her kindness and purity are also emphasized. The first two stanzas use the contrast of light and dark to show the ladys physical beauty. She is almost perfect because the poet wrote “One shade the more， one ray the less/ had half impaired the nameless grace”. Except the outer beauty， she also stands out with her inner charm as Byron used words like “nameless grace”， “pure”， “smile”， “at peace” and “innocent”. Its obvious that Byron was totally lost in Ms. Annes beauty at that time.

Except Ms. Annes beauty， Byrons excellent writing skills add beauty to the poem as well. In the first stanza， simile is properly used. Ms. Anne is compared to the night without clouds and full of stars. This special comparison presents readers with a vivid image about Ms. Annes clothing and facial expressions. As a widow， she wears in black with shining decorations. The mixed color is just in accord with her aspect and eyes. In the second stanza， there is a personification. Thoughts are personified to have the sense of belonging in “Where thoughts serenely sweet express /How pure， how dear their dwelling place”. This writing skill perfectly reveals Ms. Annes wit and temperament. She stands out not only with her appearance but also with her purity and intelligence. Besides， the harmonious rhythm also helps to build a charming poem. The whole poem has three stanzas and rhymes iambic tetrameter. Meanwhile， the rhythmic pattern is ab ab ab/ cd cd cd/ ef ef ef. Alliteration is applied to the poem as well， such as “cloudless climes” and “starry skies”. The wonderful combination of these sounds makes the whole poem become more rhythmic and vivid. At the same time， the great part also lies in the word “walk”. The collocation “walks in beauty” brings the sense of movement. It seems that Ms. Anne who exudes charm in every possible way was walking towards you. The readers are just taken into the world of beauty.

III. Poets strong affections towards beauty

A. Humanist spirit in Shakespeares works

Shakespeare lived in the Renaissance period when humanist spirit was encouraged. However， during the Middle Age， people were restricted by doctrines of the church. Asceticism was also advocated. With the development of Renaissance Movement， humanist spirit which urged people to get rid of all the doctrine restrictions and enjoy their current lives got widely spread. Both Shakespeare and his works were largely influenced. Ningshan He said “Through an exploration of the humanism in the sonnet of Shakespeare， a conclusion can be drawn that there is a common theme in his 154 sonnets—humanist spirit”（1）. Ningshan He also pointed out that “Humanist spirit is expressed not only in his odes to friends and lovers but in his praise for human arts and love feelings which reflected his love for human being and pursuits of human nature—the true， the good and the beautiful”（1）. There is no doubt that Shakespeare expressed his appreciation towards beauty so strongly in his works.

Towards the young mans beauty in “Sonnet 18”， Shakespeare showed his strong affection without hesitation. In the poem， Shakespeare confidently thought as long as his sonnet was read， that young mans beauty would exist. He wrote “so long as men can breathe， or eyes can see/ so long lives this， and this gives life to thee”. Its easy to see Shakespeares strong affections towards beauty.

B. Romanticism in Byrons works

As the representative of Romantic Literature， Byron advocated the expression of peoples true feelings. Living in the time when people were largely influenced by the Industrial Revolution and capitalism， Byron saw how crazy people were towards material enjoyment. This was not the ideal life he wanted. He joined the progressive movements of his age and struggled for liberty. Under the influence of his political life， his literary works also shows his ardent love for freedom.

In Byrons poems， he passionately described what he liked， and also showed his strong appreciation towards beauty and love. When he met a lady with striking beauty， he didnt hesitate to use words to describe her beauty， innocence， kindness and serenity. In the poem， he used the perfect combination of dark and bright to show his love towards the impressive beauty. Byron said “all thats best of dark and bright”. He liked the lady so much that in Byrons mind she seemed to be the prettiest one in the world.

IV. Conclusion

Under the restrictions from religion or material， there are still some poets who can think out of the box and appreciate the beauty around them. Shakespeare and Byron are good representatives.

Beauty is the permanent theme in poems， and different poets have distinctive ways to describe it. No matter what kind of methods is used， the wonderful descriptions of beauty always come from the poets true appreciation of it.

References：

[1]Cummings，Michael J.（2008）“Byron's She Walks in Beauty” at Cummings Study Guides.Accessed 10 July 2014.

[2]He，Ningshan.On the Humanist Spirit in Shakespeares Sonnet.Guiyang： Journal of Guiyang University，2007.

[3]Jungman，Robert E.Trimming Shakespeare's Sonnet 18.Philadelphia： Taylor & Francis Inc.，2003.

[4]McLachlan，Noel.She Walks in Beauty： “Some Byron Mysteries”.London： London Magazine，1990.

[5]Plomer，William.The Diamond of Jannina.New York City： Taplinger Publishing，1970.