Poetry Blog #3

Lord Byron's poem "She Walks in Beauty" is one of the poems I chose because I had heard the title before and was prepared to be deeply inspired by the voice of English Romanticism. I was not let down as the author clearly communicates not only his infatuation with his lover in a physical sense, such as "To His Coy Mistress," but as well as his admiration for her as a human being. After the first stanza, it is immediately apparent through the imagery of the poem, that the author considers this woman's beauty to be other worldly. This is especially effective because the imagery is of stars, the weather, night, day, light, and dark; things that are not simple and understandable in their elegance but are in fact beautiful in their grandeur. Then by the third stanza, Byron has shifted from her beauty to her nature. He describes how she has "a heart whose love is innocent!" and how her appearance tells of "days in goodness spent." He has found that her nature is just as attractive and alluring (in fact because it is in the concluding stanza one could argue it is the most alluring) as her physical beauty. This is much more than physical attraction to Byron, and in fact I can postulate that he is madly in love.

"Weighing the Dog" by Billy Collins was one of my favorite poems thus far. Obviously because we were in the "love" chapter I knew this poem was going to be about love, but for the first couple lines I thought he was going to talk about the love for his dog. I was scrambling trying to figure out how I was going to compare love of a pet to Lord Byron's most romantic poem, when the attitude of the poem completely changed. Then I realized that Collins use of analogy was as seamless as it was movingly eloquent. The shift emphasizes the love he felt for his lost lover in a way that couldn't be done otherwise. Reading this poem and not knowing what was coming, unlike me, I can say that this poem would've had an even more profound effect on me (although I thoroughly enjoyed it).

Which poem do I best relate to? Well one can only pray to find a person like Byron was describing, so I think this poem while beautiful and mystical, feels a bit foreign to me right now. I suppose I need to find my "soulmate" before I start analyzing this poem further. Collins's poem is a poem I can better relate to, because this love doesn't really convey a lover. Of course that's what's it's meant to be I know; it's meant to be a sad breakup poem with a lot of emotional distress and yet still lighthearted in a way. This poem I believe applies more to all facets of love like losing family members, lovers, or even dogs. It is a love that is less personal and less passionate than Byron's but still meaningful.