Summary Poem Analysis of 'When We Two Parted' by Lord Byron
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Course
Poetry
Institution
CIE
Here’s a full analysis of the poem ‘When We Two Parted’ by Lord Byron, tailored towards A-Level students but also suitable for those studying at any higher level.
Includes:
POEM
VOCABULARY
STORY / SUMMARY
SPEAKER / VOICE
LANGUAGE FEATURES
STRUCTURE / FORM
CONTEXT
ATTITUDES
THEMES
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.
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.
They name thee before me,
A knell in mine ear;
A shudder comes o’er me—
Why wert thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee,
Who knew thee too well—
Long, long shall I rue thee,
Too deeply to tell.
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.
, VOCABULARY
Parted - separated, went different ways, left each other
Sever - separate, cut a connection
Thy - your
Foretold - predicted, prophesied
Dew - the water drops that occur on plants in the early morning
Vows - promises
Wert thou - were you
Rue - regret terribly
STORY/SUMMARY
The speaker says that when he and the addressee separated, it was in silence and with
tears, their hearts were half broken and they were cut off from each other for years.
Her cheek became cold, as did her kiss, because she was preparing to cut him off; this
was a small taste of the sorrow he was to feel later. (Stanza 2) The morning dew that
signalled daybreak made him feel cold, it showed that it was time for him to leave; this
horrible feeling was like a warning about how he would feel now. Her promises to him
are broken, and she has now become mildly famous - he hears people speaking about
her and feels ashamed when he hears of her. (Stanza 3) His friends and acquaintances
speak her name to him, and it sounds like a death bell in his ear every time he hears it.
He shudders and wonders why he cared for her so much. They don’t know that he
knows her, or that he used to know her too well (intimately, as a lover). He will regret
her for a long, long time, too deeply to ever tell anyone about their affair. (Stanza 4)
They used to meet in secret, and now he grieves for her alone and silently, never
talking about it to anyone. He is so upset that her heart could forget him and move on,
that her spirit could trick him. If he met her after all this time, how would he react? In
silence, and with tears.
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