When We Two Parted - Lord Byron

• When We Two Parted was written by Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron)


  1808
• When We Two Parted was published


  1816
• Lord Byron (George Gordon Byron)

  One of the most prominent figures of the Romantic movement in English literature
• The poem When We Two Parted was inspired by one of the many controversial romantic relationships that Byron had experienced in his lifetime
• “When we two parted

  In silence and tears,

  Half broken-hearted

  To sever for years,”

  “When we two parted

  In silence and tears,

  Half broken-hearted
• The poem

  • Explores the sorrowful conclusion of a romantic affair
  • Hints that the affair may have been forbidden and secret
  • Observes the situation from the poet's own perspective
  • Poet feels overwhelmed with misery
• • The poem begins with the speaker talking directly to the woman about how they broke up and drifted apart 
  • The speaker explains how the break up has led to the sorrow he feels now
  • The poem begins with the speaker talking directly to the woman about how they broke up and drifted apart 
  • The speaker explains how the break up has led to the sorrow he feels now
• • The image of being “half broken-hearted” conveys Byron's sentiment that a part of him has been lost or irreparably damaged due to the separation
  • The image of being “half broken-hearted” conveys Byron's sentiment that a part of him has been lost or irreparably damaged due to the separation
• The poem's overall mood

  Bitter, pensive and melancholic
• • The image of being “half broken-hearted” conveys Byron's sentiment that a part of him has been lost or irreparably damaged due to the separation
  • The image of being “half broken-hearted” conveys Byron's sentiment that a part of him has been lost or irreparably damaged due to the separation
• “Pale grew thy cheek and cold,

  Colder thy kiss;

  Truly that hour foretold

  Sorrow to this.”

  “Pale grew thy cheek and cold,

  Colder thy kiss;

  Truly that hour foretold

  Sorrow to this.”
• The speaker states that his lover became cold and distant in their demeanour towards him


  The speaker states that his lover became cold and distant in their demeanour towards him
• “The dew of the morning

  Sunk chill on my brow—

  It felt like the warning

  Of what I feel now.”

  “The dew of the morning

  Sunk chill on my brow—

  It felt like the warning

  Of what I feel now.”
• • The speaker feels rejection by his lover and this hints at the future demise of the relationship
  • The speaker feels rejection by his lover and this hints at the future demise of the relationship
• The speaker in the poem: 'This serves as a reminder of the unpleasantness and animosity existing in their past relationship'
• The speaker in the poem changes the tense from past to present

  While emphasising how her aloofness towards her partner in their relationship predicted its eventual collapse, and subsequently, the anguish he experiences presently
• "Thy vows are all broken,

     And light is thy fame;

  I hear thy name spoken,

  And share in its shame."

  "Thy vows are all broken,

     And light is thy fame;

  I hear thy name spoken,

  And share in its shame."
• • The speaker states that the woman was in a relationship with someone else
  • The speaker hears her name mentioned and he is ashamed
  • The speaker states that the woman was in a relationship with someone else
  • The speaker hears her name mentioned and he is ashamed
• 'the dew of the morning sunk chill on my brow'
• 'thy vows are all broken, and light is thy fame'
• “They name thee before me,

  A knell to mine ear;

  A shudder comes o'er me—

    Why wert thou so dear?”

  “They name thee before me,

  A knell to mine ear;

  A shudder comes o'er me—

    Why wert thou so dear?”
• • A “knell” refers to the sombre ringing of a bell during a funeral service
  • The memory of his relationship with her causes him to reminisce about their painful break-up, which is symbolised by this imagery
  • The poet uses a rhetorical question that carries a strong emotional and personal impact
  • A “knell” refers to the sombre ringing of a bell during a funeral service
  • The memory of his relationship with her causes him to reminisce about their painful break-up, which is symbolised by this imagery
  • The poet uses a rhetorical question that carries a strong emotional and personal impact
• “They know not I knew thee,

  Who knew thee too well—

  Long, long shall I rue thee,

  Too deeply to tell.”

  “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.”

  “In secret we met -

  In silence I grieve,

  That thy heart could forget,

  Thy spirit deceive.”
• • The speaker reveals the secrecy surrounding their affair 
  • He feels deceived by her false love for him
  • The speaker reveals the secrecy surrounding their affair 
  • He feels deceived by her false love for him
• “If I should meet thee

     After long years,

  How should I greet thee? -

     With silence and tears.”

  “If I should meet thee

     After long years,

  How should I greet thee? -

     With silence and tears.”
• • The speaker thinks about what would happen if he met his former lover again
  • He states he would be silent and tearful
• The poem is made up of four octets which are eight line stanzas
• The poem consists of four stanzas comprising eight lines each, but the rhythm used is not uniform
• Byron employs vivid imagery in the poem to convey the speaker's emotions towards the woman
• The poem is filled with allusions to death and loss
• • Romanticism was a literary movement which dominated literature for centuries and was defined by a number of characteristics:
  • celebration of nature
  • the idealisation of the common man
  • focus on the individual experience and spirituality
  • idealisation of women 
  • celebration of isolation and meloncholy
• • Victorians were eager to ensure that they were adhering to the conventions of behaviour and etiquette and this was evidenced by the proliferation of guides about proper behaviour and conduct:
  • Byron was involved in a long list of scandals, such as failed romances and divorces
• • His poems often explored themes of passion, love, and longing, presenting intense emotions and personal experiences that defied societal expectations:
  • In When We Two Parted, Byron depicts an illicit and secret affair