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When We Two Parted
- Lord George Byron was well known in his time and
remains well-known today for his work in poetry,
through which he was able to express much of the
melancholy and inner emotion that was never seen in
him. During his lifetime, he was also known for his
numerous scandals and debts, and for his own
self-imposed exile from his home country. And despite
all of this chaotic insanity that followed him around,
his poetry paints a very different picture of the man.
Poems such as When We Two Parted indicate a
different aspect to Byron’s many relationships, and his
feelings about them throughout his life.
- POEM'S BACKGROUND
- POEM'S BACKGROUND
- 1) "When we two parted In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted To sever for years,
Pale grew thy cheek and cold, Colder thy
kiss; Truly that hour foretold Sorrow to
this."
- When We Two Parted is written in rhyming format, typical of much of Byron’s work —
ABABCDCD is the structure here that follows throughout the poem. His choice of words
throughout are evocative of sadness — the “silence and tears” imagery, as well as making
more of the paleness and coldness of the lover’s face. The idea that the parting of the two
left the narrator “half broken-hearted” is another deeply saddening idea, followed by the
point that the fullness of separation is a severance that takes and lasts for years. In the
second half of the verse, an element of fate is entwined within the poem; the narrator
remembers a time when the two kissed, and the kiss was cold, devoid of emotion, and
realizes that the parting of the two was always inevitable; that the moment the warmth
left the relationship, the separation and sorrow had been foretold.
- When We Two Parted is written in rhyming format, typical of much of Byron’s work —
ABABCDCD is the structure here that follows throughout the poem. His choice of words
throughout are evocative of sadness — the “silence and tears” imagery, as well as making
more of the paleness and coldness of the lover’s face. The idea that the parting of the two
left the narrator “half broken-hearted” is another deeply saddening idea, followed by the
point that the fullness of separation is a severance that takes and lasts for years. In the
second half of the verse, an element of fate is entwined within the poem; the narrator
remembers a time when the two kissed, and the kiss was cold, devoid of emotion, and
realizes that the parting of the two was always inevitable; that the moment the warmth
left the relationship, the separation and sorrow had been foretold.
- 2) "The dew of the morning Sunk chill on my brow–
It felt like the warning Of what I feel now. Thy
vows are all broken, And light is thy fame; I hear
thy name spoken, And share in its shame."
- The second verse carries on much like the first, maintaining the sobriety of the poem, and continuing
the theme of looking back and thinking about the many warning signs throughout the relationship
that suggested the parting was doomed to happen one way or the other. Saying “the vows are all
broken” could be a reference to the promises a typical couple makes to each other, or it could be a
more literal vow, a saddening realization that a marriage has ended. The second half of the verse
further suggests that some kind of infidelity may have been the final break in the relationship;
suggesting that there is a shame in the name of the other person, as well as the idea of breaking a
marital vow could be a reference to a scandal that involved an affair.
- The second verse carries on much like the first, maintaining the sobriety of the poem, and continuing
the theme of looking back and thinking about the many warning signs throughout the relationship
that suggested the parting was doomed to happen one way or the other. Saying “the vows are all
broken” could be a reference to the promises a typical couple makes to each other, or it could be a
more literal vow, a saddening realization that a marriage has ended. The second half of the verse
further suggests that some kind of infidelity may have been the final break in the relationship;
suggesting that there is a shame in the name of the other person, as well as the idea of breaking a
marital vow could be a reference to a scandal that involved an affair.
- 3) "They name thee before me, A knell to mine ear; A
shudder comes o’er me– Why wert thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee, Who knew thee so
well– Long, long I shall rue thee, Too deeply to tell
- continuing on a theme introduced in the last verse — “light is thy fame” — the
narrator finds himself discussing the apparently publicized figure they’ve recently
split up with. The narrator finds they lover’s name to be a “knell” in their ear,
referencing the solemn toll of a funeral bell. The line “why wert you so dear?” is a
powerful one; despite the scandal and the evident betrayal, the narrator still
shudders to hear the name of their lover, and realizes that their pain is going to last
for a very long time, and such pain is inexplicably deep; they won’t be able to talk
about it, nor will they be able to move on.
- continuing on a theme introduced in the last verse — “light is thy fame” — the
narrator finds himself discussing the apparently publicized figure they’ve recently
split up with. The narrator finds they lover’s name to be a “knell” in their ear,
referencing the solemn toll of a funeral bell. The line “why wert you so dear?” is a
powerful one; despite the scandal and the evident betrayal, the narrator still
shudders to hear the name of their lover, and realizes that their pain is going to last
for a very long time, and such pain is inexplicably deep; they won’t be able to talk
about it, nor will they be able to move on.
- 4) "In secret we met– In silence I grieve, That thy
heart could forget, Thy spirit deceive If I should meet
thee After long years, How should I greet thee?–
With silence and tears."
- The words of this verse largely speak for themselves, carrying the sorrowful theme of the poem to its
close by repeating the earlier theme of silence and tears. We learn that the lovers met in secret and
so the narrator must grieve alone, feeling as though they have been forgotten and betrayed by their
former lover. They realize that if they were to meet their lover again, there would be nothing to say,
and nothing to do except to cry, and that would be all there could ever again be.
- The words of this verse largely speak for themselves, carrying the sorrowful theme of the poem to its
close by repeating the earlier theme of silence and tears. We learn that the lovers met in secret and
so the narrator must grieve alone, feeling as though they have been forgotten and betrayed by their
former lover. They realize that if they were to meet their lover again, there would be nothing to say,
and nothing to do except to cry, and that would be all there could ever again be.
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