George Gordon Byron
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 impair’d 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!
1.Questions for discussion and reflection.
1)Lord Byron is a _____ poet who embraced the power of the heart over the power of the mind.
A.RealistB.ModernistC.ImagistD.Romantic
2)The poem is about his passionate love for _____.
A.a womanB.natureC.lifeD.both A and B
3)What figure of speech is not used in the poem?
A.Repetition.B.Imagery.
C.Personification.D.Metaphor.
4)Which word best explains “impair’d”?
A.Ruined.B.Enhanced.
C.Highlighted.D.Saddened.
5)The woman is perfect in that _____.
A.she has incomparable physical beauty
B.she is as beautiful as nature
C.physical beauty works towards her inner person
D.her thoughts are serenely sweet
2.Pair Work: Read the poem and translate it into Chinese.
Proper Names
Oxford Street 牛津商業街
Lady Godiva 戈黛娃夫人
Notes
1. Doris Lessing (1919-2013 ):She is a British writer.Her novels include The Grass Is Singing, The Golden Notebook, and five novels collectively known as Canopus in Argos.Lessing was awarded the 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature.She was the eleventh woman and the oldest ever person to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature.In 2001, Lessing was awarded the David Cohen Prize for a lifetime’s achievement in British Literature.In 2008, The Times ranked her fifth on a list of “the 50 greatest British writers since 1945”.