She Walks in beauty - wikipedia She Walks in beauty She Walks in Beauty 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 mellow 'd 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 ! `` She Walks in Beauty '' is a short lyrical poem in iambic tetrameter written in 1813 by Lord Byron, and is one of his most famous works. It is said to have been inspired by an event in Byron 's life ; while at a ball, Byron met best friend Robert Wilmot, Mrs. Anne Beatrix Wilmot. She was in mourning, wearing a black dress set with spangle she was striking and he adored her and soon fell in love and she became his wife, as in the opening lines ; `` She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies '' He was struck by her unusual beauty, and the next morning the poem was written. It is thought that she was the first inspiration for his unfinished epic poem about Goethe, a personal hero of his. In this unpublished work, which Byron referred to in his letters as his magnum opus, he switches the gender of Goethe and gives him the same description of his cousin. This idea would have truly put Byron on the avant - garde. Cultural references Literature The first two verses are cited in the novel The Philadelphian by Richard P. Powell. The poem is also referenced in a House of Night book, where Nathan, in his reminiscences of Byron, suggests ( without any justification ) that the subject of the poem may have been Byron 's half - sister, Augusta Leigh. Musical settings The poem has inspired various composers over time, including Roger Quilter, Gerald Finzi, Isaac Nathan, Connor J. Koppin and Chanticleer Men 's Chorus Conductor / Composer Eric Barnum. References Jump up ^ Cummings, Michael J. ( 2008 ) `` Byron 's She Walks in Beauty '' at Cummings Study Guides. Accessed 10 July 2014 Jump up ^ The complete works of Lord Byron, A. and W. Galignani, 1841, p. 254 External links Works related to She walks in beauty at Wikisource Lord Byron Topics Barony of Byron The Byronic hero Early life Newstead Abbey Timeline of Lord Byron People Anne Isabella, Lady Byron ( wife ) Ada Lovelace ( daughter ) Allegra Byron ( daughter ) John Byron ( father ) Claire Clairmont Nicolo Giraud Contessa Guiccioli Jane Harley John Cam Hobhouse Lady Caroline Lamb Augusta Leigh ( half - sister ) Medora Leigh Thomas Moore John William Polidori Walter Scott Mary Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley Edward John Trelawny Longer poetry Hours of Idleness ( 1807 ) English Bards and Scotch Reviewers ( 1809 ) The Giaour ( 1813 ) The Bride of Abydos ( 1813 ) The Corsair ( 1814 ) Lara, A Tale ( 1814 ) Hebrew Melodies ( 1815 ) The Siege of Corinth ( 1816 ) Parisina ( 1816 ) The Prisoner of Chillon ( 1816 ) The Dream ( 1816 ) Prometheus ( 1816 ) `` Darkness '' ( 1816 ) The Lament of Tasso ( 1817 ) Beppo ( 1818 ) Childe Harold 's Pilgrimage ( 1812 - 1818 ) Don Juan ( 1819 -- 1824 ; incomplete upon Byron 's death in 1824 ) Mazeppa ( 1819 ) The Prophecy of Dante ( 1819 ) The Vision of Judgment ( 1821 ) The Age of Bronze ( 1823 ) The Island ( 1823 ) Plays Manfred ( 1817 ) Marino Faliero ( 1820 ) Sardanapalus ( 1821 ) The Two Foscari ( 1821 ) Cain ( 1821 ) Heaven and Earth ( 1821 ) Werner ( 1822 ) The Deformed Transformed ( 1822 ) Shorter poetry `` The First Kiss of Love '' ( 1806 ) `` Thoughts Suggested by a College Examination '' ( 1806 ) `` To a Beautiful Quaker '' ( 1807 ) `` The Cornelian '' ( 1807 ) `` Lines Addressed to a Young Lady '' ( 1807 ) `` Lachin y Gair '' ( 1807 ) `` Epitaph to a Dog '' ( 1808 ) `` Maid of Athens, ere we part '' ( 1810 ) `` She Walks in Beauty '' ( 1814 ) `` My Soul is Dark '' ( 1815 ) `` The Destruction of Sennacherib '' ( 1815 ) `` Fare Thee Well '' ( 1816 ) `` When We Two Parted '' ( 1817 ) `` Love 's Last Adieu '' `` So, we 'll go no more a roving '' ( 1830 ) Prose Fragment of a Novel ( 1819 ) Letters Related Byron ( 1908 play ) Lord Byron ( 1972 opera ) Childe Byron ( 1977 play ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=She_Walks_in_Beauty&oldid=816983441 '' Categories : Poetry by Lord Byron 1814 poems Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from August 2012 Use British English from August 2012 Talk About Wikipedia ਪੰਜਾਬੀ 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 25 December 2017, at 06 : 03. About Wikipedia

Question: who was she walks in beauty written about
Answer: Mrs. Anne Beatrix Wilmot