The speaker is simply amazed by a woman, and the poem is his way of saying so over and over. The refrain "O what a woman! what a beautiful woman!" comes back like a chorus, as if he can't stop himself. Around it he piles up images drawn from nature and light: eyes like a green bayou sea, hair full of sunlight, cheeks glowing with "lovelight," a face compared to a sunflower and a pearl. Her voice is a midnight lullaby that shifts into something warmer and more tender.
Near the end, the praise turns from looks to character. The crescent on her forehead stands for reason, held up by an "honor-bound heartbeat," and the speaker says this is what truly makes her beautiful. The mood is joyful, musical and a little giddy. The repeated lines and invented compound words, like "lightfeet" and "milkmoon," make the poem feel like a song of admiration rather than a calm description.