A Beautiful Mistress by Thomas Carew: Easiest Analysis

A Beautiful Mistress by Thomas Carew cover image

When it comes to appreciating the beauty of a woman, Thomas Carew was the poet to look for. Almost all of his poems, including ‘A Beautiful Mistress’ by Thomas Carew is a poem that ‘appreciates by exaggeration.’ What do we mean by that?

‘Appreciation by exaggeration’ is a practice that many men are familiar with, and we use exaggerated examples and metaphors to describe the beauty of a woman. Thomas Carew was doing just the same. 

Let’s take a look at the poem first and then at the simplification and meaning of it. 

A Beautiful Mistress by Thomas Carew

IF when the sun at noon displays
                          His brighter rays, 
              Thou but appear, 
He then, all pale with shame and fear,
                          Quencheth his light,
Hides his dark brow, flies from thy sight,
              And grows more dim,
        Compared to thee, than stars to him.
If thou but show thy face again,
When darkness doth at midnight reign,
The darkness flies, and light is hurl'd
Round about the silent world :
So as alike thou driv'st away
Both light and darkness, night and day.

Simplification of A Beautiful Mistress 

If when the sun shines the brightest in the noon

You appear the sun will hide in shame as his shine will be paled by yours

The sun shall hide away in embarrassment and get dimmer

As dim as the stars are compared to the sun

If you show your face again at night

when darkness takes over the entire world

Your face shall light up the world, making the darkness fade away

You drive away both with your beauty

Light and darkness, night and day

Meaning of A Beautiful Mistress 

Apart from the archaic language used, the poem is very simple to understand; the poet is explaining how beautiful this woman is, and using the side of heavenly bodies and hyperbolic examples to convey his emotions. 

But there are some subtle elements in the poem that require closer inspection. Let’s take a detailed look at the meaning of the poem, stanza by stanza. 

The Light

IF when the sun at noon displays

             His brighter rays, 

       Thou but appear, 

He then, all pale with shame and fear,

             Quencheth his light,

Hides his dark brow, flies from thy sight,

       And grows more dim,

    Compared to thee, than stars to him.

The first stanza of the poem is about the brightness the lady brings in with her. We do not know how she looks, or if it is her face that brings the brightness. But we do know her effect. 

The poet says that when she appears, even the sun at noon which shines the brightest hides away in shame. This shame and fear make the sun dimmer. 

Perhaps the lady is not just beautiful, but also so kind and wonderful from the inside that she brings a glow wherever she goes. 

The sun at noon is not gentle at all. It is harsh, hot, and harassing. But even the sun when it is in its most raging state gets scared of the shine of this woman. But in no way did the woman’s brightness hurt. It is stronger than the sun’s, yet very gentle. 

The Darkness

If thou but show thy face again,

When darkness doth at midnight reign,

The darkness flies, and light is hurl’d

Round about the silent world :

So as alike thou driv’st away

Both light and darkness, night and day.

In the second and final stanza, we get to know the other aspect of the woman’s wonderful aura. After the sun is gone, now the poet says how she removes the darkness from around. 

At midnight (after 12 hours when the sun is the brightest), the darkness reigns. The poet says that if she comes in the midnight, her light drives away the darkness as well. 

In the end, the poet concludes by saying that even though the light of the sun and the darkness of the night are two completely opposite things, the woman drives away both of them. 

The essence of the Poem

Of course, the poem is about the beauty of the woman. It might be just about her physical beauty, or more likely, the beauty of her soul. But why is there a contrast between darkness and light? 

What does Carew mean when he says “Both light and darkness, night and day?” Well, the answer is in all extremes. 

Both midnight and midday represent extremes. During the mid-day, the sun is scorchingly bright. During the night, the darkness is completely blinding. None of the cases are preferable. This is where the woman comes in. 

She represents harmony. Her light is brighter than the sun, but not scorchingly hot. She provides light, and she removes darkness. That’s what makes her so special. 

This was the essence of the poem; her beauty was light, gentle, and bright. The woman is beautiful, both from the outside and inside. 

Also read: The True Beauty by Thomas Carew