# Love and Beauty in Poetry

> Theme guide for Poetry by James Weldon Johnson.

Romantic and aesthetic love is celebrated in poems such as 'Ma Lady's Lips Am Like de Honey' and 'The Glory of the Day Was in Her Face,' often intertwining with nature and sensory imagery.

## Where it surfaces

- [The Black Mammy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/the-black-mammy): The Mammy's tender care and love for the children she raises is depicted as beautiful, yet bittersweet.
- [The White Witch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/the-white-witch): The witch's physical beauty and the speaker's passionate attraction are central to the poem's tension.
- [The Glory of the Day Was in Her Face](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/the-glory-of-the-day-was-in-her-face): The poem celebrates the beloved's face, eyes, voice, and smile as embodiments of natural beauty and love.
- [From the Spanish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/from-the-spanish): The reunion of former lovers after two decades evokes themes of lost love and the fleeting nature of beauty.
- [Before a Painting](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/before-a-painting): The speaker is overcome by the beauty of the painting, which evokes a sense of love and divine presence.
- [Girl of Fifteen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/girl-of-fifteen): The speaker's admiration for the girl's beauty and youth, and the emotional response it evokes, centers on themes of love and aesthetic appreciation.
- [Down by the Carib Sea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/down-by-the-carib-sea): The lottery girl and dancing girl are celebrated for their beauty, allure, and the passionate, romantic encounters they inspire.
- [IV: The Lottery Girl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/iv-the-lottery-girl): The speaker's infatuation with the lottery girl's eyes, smile, and lips frames love as a desirable prize.
- [V: The Dancing Girl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/v-the-dancing-girl): The dance is portrayed as an expression of passionate love and physical beauty, with vivid descriptions of the señorita's features and the dancers' closeness.
- [Sunset in the Tropics](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/vi-sunset-in-the-tropics): The rich imagery of crimson, gold, purple, and rose evokes a sense of aesthetic wonder and the fleeting beauty of the moment.
- [The Temptress](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/the-temptress): Love and beauty are presented as the Devil's most potent weapons, replacing fear with allure and causing the speaker to lose all courage.
- [Morning, Noon and Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/morning-noon-and-night): The poem celebrates romantic love and physical beauty, from the tender blush of morning to the passionate embrace of noon.
- [Her Eyes Twin Pools](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/her-eyes-twin-pools): The poem centers on the beauty of the woman's eyes, portraying them as enchanting and alluring.
- [The Awakening](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/the-awakening): The poem centers on a romantic encounter between a rose and a bee, culminating in a blissful union.
- [Beauty That Is Never Old](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/beauty-that-is-never-old): The poem celebrates love as an eternal refuge and the only beauty that never fades.
- [Venus in a Garden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/venus-in-a-garden): Venus, the goddess of love, gathers roses in a garden, with the red roses symbolizing love's sacrifices and the beauty born from passion.
- [Vashti](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/vashti): The speaker's intense, unfulfilled love for Vashti and his admiration for her physical beauty dominate the chapter.
- [Sence You Went Away](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/sence-you-went-away): The poem centers on the absence of a beloved, whose departure drains beauty from the natural world.
- [Ma Lady’s Lips Am Like de Honey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/ma-lady-s-lips-am-like-de-honey): The poem celebrates romantic love and the beauty of the beloved, using natural imagery like honey, roses, and bees.
- [Nobody’s Lookin’ but de Owl and de Moon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/nobody-s-lookin-but-de-owl-and-de-moon): The poem centers on romantic longing and the beauty of a secret nighttime rendezvous.
- [You's Sweet to Yo' Mammy Jes de Same](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/you-s-sweet-to-yo-mammy-jes-de-same): The mother's love redefines beauty, valuing her child's inner light over external appearance or societal standards.
- [Dat Gal o' Mine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/dat-gal-o-mine): The speaker celebrates the physical beauty of his beloved, emphasizing her dark skin, bright eyes, and elegant attire.
- [The Rivals](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/chapters/the-rivals): The narrator's pursuit of Liza, described as 'mighty purty' and 'de greates' 'traction in de county,' drives the rivalry and the chapter's central conflict.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/themes/love_and_beauty
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_13_se/themes