Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

In "Beauty" by Elinor Wylie, the poem explores the complexities of beauty as both an ideal and a force of nature. The speaker offers an unconventional perspective on beauty, presenting it not as something easily defined or understood in terms of moral judgment but as something wild, innocent, and untamable. Through the use of contrasting imagery and careful word choices, Wylie highlights the tension between society’s desire to categorize and possess beauty, and the elusive, free-spirited essence that beauty represents.

The opening lines, "Say not of Beauty she is good, / Or aught but beautiful," immediately establish the central idea that beauty should not be confined by moral or ethical labels. The speaker warns against attaching any specific moral quality to beauty, such as goodness, because doing so diminishes its true nature. Beauty, according to the speaker, should be appreciated for its inherent quality—its beauty alone—without trying to define it within a moral framework.

The line "Or sleek to doves' wings of the wood / Her wild wings of a gull" further deepens this idea by contrasting two types of wings: the gentle, serene doves’ wings and the untamed, wild wings of a gull. The dove, often associated with peace and purity, represents the domesticated, idealized version of beauty that society might try to impose, while the gull, with its wild, unpredictable nature, represents the untamed, free-spirited beauty that cannot be easily confined or controlled. This imagery suggests that beauty, in its truest form, is not meant to be contained or defined, but is rather something that exists on its own terms, untamed and unpredictable.

In the following lines, "Call her not wicked; that word's touch / Consumes her like a curse," the speaker warns against attaching negative labels to beauty. To call beauty “wicked” would be to ruin its essence, as if the word itself is a destructive force that consumes beauty. This idea suggests that beauty, when tainted by judgment or moral condemnation, loses its purity. It is an idea that echoes the notion that beauty is neutral, neither inherently good nor bad, but simply an aspect of existence that should be experienced without judgment.

The poem continues with "But love her not too much, too much, / For that is even worse." Here, the speaker introduces a new tension: while beauty should not be demonized, it should also not be idealized or worshipped excessively. To love beauty "too much" is to suffocate it, to turn it into something other than what it naturally is. This warning highlights the danger of becoming overly attached to beauty, to the point where it is no longer free and unrestrained, but instead becomes something that can be controlled, contained, or destroyed by excessive adoration.

The final stanza, "O, she is neither good nor bad, / But innocent and wild! / Enshrine her and she dies, who had / The hard heart of a child," reaffirms the idea that beauty exists outside the realm of moral judgment. It is neither good nor bad, but "innocent and wild," free from the constraints of human desire to categorize or control it. The idea that beauty has the "hard heart of a child" suggests that beauty, in its purest form, is unaffected by external influences, much like a child’s heart is untainted by the complexities of adult life. However, the poem concludes with the poignant realization that if beauty is "enshrined"—if it is idolized or preserved too strictly—it dies. The notion of enshrining beauty, of turning it into something static and untouchable, kills its very essence, turning it into something dead rather than living. This final idea serves as a reminder that beauty, like the wild heart of a child, cannot be confined or worshipped without losing its vitality.

“Beauty” by Elinor Wylie offers a nuanced meditation on the elusive nature of beauty, urging the reader to appreciate it for what it is: wild, innocent, and untamable. The poem challenges the traditional ways of thinking about beauty, suggesting that attempts to define, categorize, or excessively revere beauty will ultimately strip it of its authenticity. Instead, beauty should be allowed to exist freely, untouched by moral judgments or overzealous adoration, in its natural state of wildness and innocence. The poem, through its paradoxical assertions and cautionary advice, invites the reader to engage with beauty not as an object of possession or control, but as an experience to be cherished in its transitory, untamed form.

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