The Buckley School's founder believed that all public speakers should hone their presentation skills by reading poetry out loud. We keep that worthwhile practice alive by including a poem in our magazine each month for you to read aloud. Above, Lord Byron in Albanian dress, as painted by Thomas Phillips.
"My great comfort is, that the temporary celebrity I have wrung from the world has been in the very teeth of all opinions and prejudices. I have flattered no ruling powers; I have never concealed a single thought that tempted me."
– Bryon in a letter to Irish writer Thomas Moore
Say "Lord Byron" and a notion of what it means to be a romantic poet tends to flash across the mind—passionate, tormented, adventurous, reckless. George Gordon Byron appears to have been all of those, but it's his poetry that has made him a leading figure of the Romantic movement.
Born in London in 1788, Byron wrote and published his first volumes of poetry while a student living the high life at Cambridge. His travels, literary friendships, daring writing, and love affairs with both women and men are the stuff of legend—and in the 1800s in England, ultimately made him fear for his safety. He left England for Italy, where he began writing his novel-in-verse, Don Juan.
Byron did not live to finish that work, falling ill and dying in April of 1824. He was just 36 years old.
Byron's daughter, a pioneer of computing - Ada Lovelace
In his short life, he not only established himself as one of England's most revered poets, but he also served in the House of Lords, advocating for workers' rights and social reform. In addition, we have Byron to thank for Ada Lovelace, a founding figure in the field of computer programming. She was his daughter.
Below, find one of Byron’s most recited poems to read aloud.
She Walks in Beauty
I.
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 mellowed to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
II.
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.
III.
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!
Learn more
For more on the life and loves of Lord Byron, including his connection to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, you might check out the series Byron on Amazon Prime, which comes with this description:
This rich historical drama explores the true identity of the wild poetic genius who broke every taboo in the book. Byron's affairs and his unconventionality, however, were always destined to bring him down.
Find more on that series, released in 2003, here.
