WHEN WE TWO PARTED…
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 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.
When we two parted
Lord Byron
Source: http://www.bartleby.com/101/597.html
POEM’S COMMENTARY
This paper is
going to be focused on the analysis of the poem “When we two parted” whose author is Lord Byron. The title suggests that somebody says
goodbye to his / her couple. Maybe it can be a sentimental goodbye or somebody
has died.
In general, Lord
Byron expresses a man’s suffering who has been deserted and unfaithfulled by a
woman.
There are two themes;
the strong feeling that surround us which is love, (i.e: in the first stanza,
in the third verse, “Half broken-hearted”,
or “Why wert thou so dear?” in the
third stanza, fourth verse, “That thy
heart could forget” in the fourth stanza, third verse). Also a big betrayal
based on a deceit, (i.e: in the second stanza, fifth verse “Thy vows are all broken” or “Thy
spirit deceive” fourth stanza, fourth verse. In fact, there is a previous
theme that is the regret caused by the themes mentioned before. This theme is
showed during the poem: tears, sorrow (first stanza, second and eight
verse), shudder, rue ( third stanza, third and seventh verse), “Too deeply to tell”, (third stanza, eigth verse); “I grieve”, tears (fourth stanza, second and eight verse).
The meaning
isn’t so clear because it is very complex in its contents, there are several
interpretations and it doesn’t especify none of them.
The poem is
written in the first person: i.e. “we and our” (1st and 4th
stanza),“I” and “me”( 2nd, 3rd , 4th stanza), but
Byron is writing it as if he was speaking to someone, i.e “thee and thou” (3rd
and 4th stanza).
The poem’s tone
is very gloomy because it refers always to a strong regret, the poet feels sad
and repentance, in fact the mood is very dramatic. The poem is structured
in four stanzas of eight verses each one. The poem’ structure is the
following; a-b-a-b-c-d-c-d, e-f-e-f-g-h-g-h … I think that the poem is an
octave.
Inside the poem we
can observe several images that help us to imagine the different situations which
Byron transmit to us, i.e; “Pale grew thy
cheek and cold”( 1st stanza), with that, Byron show us the
goodbye’s indifference. Also he uses metaphors to express the feelings,
i.e. “Half broken-hearted”
“Colder thy kiss”(1st stanza), “And light is thy fame”( 2nd
stanza), “Thy spirit deceive” (4th
stanza) ...
My personal
response about the poem is a sad impression due to the dramatic
vocabulary and the way is the situation described. Really although the author
knows that the poem is not to be read by a receiver, he is able to confide by
writing in a paper how he feels. Personally, I think that this poem is full of
sentimentality and helps you to reflect about your own experiences in life.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
· 597. When we two parted –
George Gordon Byron, Lord Byron. The
http://www.bartleby.com/101/597.html 14.11.05