Lord Byron "She Walks in Beauty" [1810]
Lord Byron This simple lyric is reminiscent of the Renaissance love lyric, in which the lady's physical beauty is seen as an indication of her inner beauty and purity of soul.
The poem was inspired by Byron's meeting his cousin when she was wearing a black mourning dress. With dark hair and fair face, the lady is a mingling of various lights and shades, comparable to the light and darkness of a night sky with stars.
In the final stanza, the mingled "tints" are signs of goodness, peace, and innocence. The calm, chaste tone of the poem is like the character of the lady.