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A critical analysis of Lord Byron's poem When We Two Parted
Full text of poem with an in depth analysis/ criticism
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WHEN WE TWO PARTEDWhen 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 to 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.
By Lord Byron
This poem tells of the heartbreak at the breakup of a clandestine relationship. The tone
is one of sorrow and pain. We are presented with an array of negative words "chill",
"broken", "shame", "shudder", "grieve", "deceive" and "tears". The essence of
what has transpired can almost be gleaned from these words alone. It has been
recorded that the poem was written about the adulterous relationship that Lord Byron
had with Lady Frances Wedderburn Webster who then deceived him in turn by having
an extra-marital liaison with the Duke of Wellington. There are however other theories
surrounding this and it remains a subject of speculation. There are indeed speculations
that the poem referred to Lord Byron’s half-sister however doubt has been cast upon
this as they remained in close contact after the poem was written. The lover is not
referred to by name and this reflects the secrecy that the relationship was shrouded in.
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