When we two parted

• who wrote when we two parted?

  Lord Byron
• Who was the poem about?

  Lady Frances ( a member of aristocracy)
• why did he write the poem?

  He was having an affair with Lady Frances but she also had an affair with the Duke of Wellington.
• What is the poem about?

  Byrons’ emotions surrounding the break up of him and Lady Frances and his feelings of seeing her with another man
• what is the rhyme scheme + rhythm?

  steady rhythm and ABABCDCD rhyme scheme
• what does rhythm + rhyme scheme show?

  It is highly controlled which signifies sense of deep reflection of the relationship
• analyse: ’In silence and tears’


  Feelings are unspoken. He is in ‘silence’ because he can’t express his negative emotions as it is a secret affair.
• analyse: ‘Half broken-hearted’


  Speaker is heart broken. Only ‘half’ as he’s the only one broken as she had the affair.
• analyse: ‘To sever for years’


  Violent verb ‘sever’ means to cut and take something from a whole. This conveys a bitter tone as this heart break is something that will stay with him for a long time.
• analyse: ‘Pale grew thy cheek and cold’


  She is getting cold as her feeling change. There is no passion or warmth from her yet he still has feelings. This emotional coldness is reflected by the physical coldness. This is the death of their relationship.
• analyse: ‘Truly that hour foretold/Sorrow to this.’


  Enjambment indicates tense change from past to present because he can’t move on as the breakup has led to great ‘sorrow’ that is still affects him now.
• analyse: ‘The dew of the morning/Sunk chill on my brow’


  This makes narrator sound dead. ’Sunk’ suggests there is a deep coldness within him.
• analyse: ‘Thy vows are broken’


  Repetition of ‘broken‘ highlights she broke her promises. They weren‘t married yet he thought their relationship was permanent.
• analyse: ‘ And light is thy fame;/I hear thy name spoken,/And share in its shame’


  ‘Fame’ alludes to the woman’s affairs being the centre of gossip. He is part of the fair so he ’share(s)’ in this gossip as he hears his name being ‘spoken’. The use of the word ‘shame’ suggests the embarrassment he feels. The sibilance shows that he’s in silence and can’t express emotions. He is talking about her in the present tense indicating he can’t get over her; he still connects with her which brings up his emotions.
• analyse: A knell in mine ear/A shudder comes o’er me’


  He refers to her name as a ‘knell’ which is a bell at a funeral. This shows that hearing her name is like hearing a knell as it reminds him of the death of their relationship and can’t overcome his negative emotions. He ‘shudder(s) as her name has a powerful effect on him as the relationship was meaningful to him.
• analyse: ‘Why wert thou so dear?’


  Rhetorical question shows he is questioning himself on why she still effects him; almost doubting his feelings.
• analyse: ‘Long, long shall i rue thee,/Too deeply to tell.’


  Repetition of ‘long’ highlights he is pondering on breakup. ’Rue’ means regret suggesting that due to the secrecy of the relationship, his feelings are inexplainable. The speakers tone is becoming angry as he acknowledges he is left with deep emotional wounds.
• analyse: ‘In secret we met-/In silence I grieve’


  Sibilance emphasises he feels trapped in silence. Personal pronouns change from ‘we’ to ‘i’ showing he’s the only one grieving. He feels intensely towards her and the break up.
• analyse: ‘Thy spirit deceive’


  Strong verb ‘deceive’ highlights betrayal he feels.
• analyse: ‘If i should meet thee/After long years,/How should i greet thee?/With silence and tears.’


  Sudden tone change creating a volta. He is unsure how he would respond if he saw her in the future. Conclusion is a cyclical structure as he repeats second line in last line. This shows even after all the pain inflicted onto him he can‘t get over her. He doesn’t see himself being able to move on in future.
• What poem can be compared?

  Neutral Tones