These line occur in
"The Rape of the Lock" composed by Alexander Pope. Here Clarissa
imparts a piece of counsel to Belinda who had become so much exasperated over
the rape of her lock by the Baron. This lines means that physical charm of
things—animate, inanimate, does strike the sight of an onlooker. Man cannot
remain uninfluenced by the outer charm of things. If one looks at a beautiful
human face one is impressed by the sparkling beauty. That is the weakness of
man.
Clarissa is the mouthpiece of Pope. Through
her, he comments on the general truth about the life of a woman. She moralizes
over the decay of human beauty, particularly feminine beauty. She states that
beauty is short-lived and must decay one day. Locks of hair, whether formed
into ringlets or left uncared for, must ultimately turn grey. A face, whether
painted or not, must fade and wither with the coming of age. Not only that, a
scornful woman who rejects all eligible suitors cannot gain a husband and must,
therefore, die a maid (unmarried). So, the most sensible thing for women to do
is to make the best use of their good humour whatever their loss may be. Clarissa
is confident that it is only good humour that succeeds in the long run in
winning love from men. A beautiful woman may not succeed in love making by
casting amorous glances at men because the physical charms of a woman only
appeal to the eyes of men, but the hearts of men can be captured by the beauty
of mind alone. So, Clarissa asks Belinda to exercise her powers and charms over
the Baron, keep up her good humour instead of being so much enraged and try to
win over him to a successful marriage.
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