When We Two Parted

George Gordon Lord Byron 1788 (London) – 1824 (Missolonghi, Aetolia)



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 shrudder comes o'er me--
 Why wert thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee,
 Who knew thee so well--
Long, long I shall 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.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 02, 2023

44 sec read
437

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABACDEDE FGFGHIHI JXJXJKJK LMLMJCJB
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 756
Words 147
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8

George Gordon Lord Byron

George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron, known simply as Lord Byron, was an English poet, peer and politician who became a revolutionary in the Greek War of Independence, and is considered one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement. He is regarded as one of the greatest English poets and remains widely read and influential. Among his best-known works are the lengthy narrative poems Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage; many of his shorter lyrics in Hebrew Melodies also became popular. He travelled extensively across Europe, especially in Italy, where he lived for seven years in the cities of Venice, Ravenna, and Pisa. During his stay in Italy he frequently visited his friend and fellow poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Later in life Byron joined the Greek War of Independence fighting the Ottoman Empire and died of disease leading a campaign during that war, for which Greeks revere him as a national hero. He died in 1824 at the age of 36 from a fever contracted after the First and Second Siege of Missolonghi. His only legitimate child, Ada Lovelace, is regarded as a foundational figure in the field of computer programming based on her notes for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine. Byron's illegitimate children include Allegra Byron, who died in childhood, and possibly Elizabeth Medora Leigh.  more…

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