Beauty White as Winter's Snow

What is beauty? I kind of just wrote this on a whim, so we'll see how it goes.

What is beauty, that thou wouldst gaze upon it so readily?

Is it the fairness of a woman, whose skin is white as snow,

As clean as snow, as pure as Winter, who lays her blanket on a cold world?

Where dost thou find beauty if not in that which is clean and pure?

Dost thou search for beauty over the mountaintops and seek its face across the seas?

Dost though look for beauty in the child who lies alone on the street corner?

Or in the aged man who, after desperate search, finds no food for his starving family?

Or in the broken youth who hides behind the mask of war?

Or in the blue-eyed girl with yellow braids whose bruised face is wet with tears?

Or dost thou look for beauty in the poor boy who knows not his father?

Nay, the world looks not for beauty in these things, but rather deems beautiful other things,

Flowers, sky, fields, rain, sunshine, birds, angels.

For these things are beautiful and they are clean and they are pure,

But may we wash the world white as snow, that those not deemed beautiful may be

made so,

To match the fairness of a woman, whose skin is white as Winter’s snow.

Reviews

[Poeticpiers]

Beauty is everywhere and any where if you choose to see it.
The lotus blosson sinks its roots in filth and orchids grow on rotting plants
Ideas of womens beauty are not universal but var from culture to culture
I congratulate you on your grasp of middle english and the content of this piece of writing ivor

What a fine poetry I read here. You emphasize all the odes of the woman so wonderfully! I am in awe, as I like old poetry style... It has such dept, and inner romance. Thank you for your wonderful words here.

[Ysabel Reyes]

nice poem! it seemed like you'd be flowing with the flow once you read it. very nice :)

[MsMermaid]

Compassionate and powerful write. Your thoughts are deep and pure.

[Archia]

The last two lines are beautiful, just like the rest, but those two lines caught me. The idea of everyone being able to be beautiful is intriguing, but that fact that they cannot d it be themselves.

[Anthony]

"Dost though look for beauty in the child who lies alone on the street corner" is such a thought-provoking line. Thanks for writing this beautiful poem, well done!

[Bridget Murphy]

I truly love this poem, its very deep!!!:)

[The Scholar]

Thanks so much each of you!

[...]

What a wonderful message in this. I enjoyed reading this.