When We Two Parted

"When we two parted"

He addresses his former lover directly, which makes the poem feel more personal. The use of "we" makes it sound like the parting was mutual.

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"Half broken-hearted"

This could suggest that they weren't properly in love with each other. However, it's clear that the narrator was deeply affected by their parting, so perhaps he is accusing his lover of only being half in love with him.

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"cheek" "colder" "kiss"

The repetition of the harsh "k" sound emphasises coldness.

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"A knell"

This metaphor suggests that her name sounds like a death knell to him, which is a constant reminder of the death of their relationship.A knell is the sound of a bell, usually rung at a funeral.

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"In silence I grieve"

This quote shows that due to the fact that no-one knew they were lovers, which supports the idea of their relationship being secretive, he cannot talk about his pain. He mourns their relationship like a death, also supported by "A knell"

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"If I should meet thee"

This is one of the many quotes that show that this poem goes from the past, the present and the future. The poem moves through time, and the juxtaposition of the past and present emphasises that there's no change in feelings.

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Narrative

The poem describes an affair that happened between two lovers, but the woman now no longer shows any kind of affection toward him. It describes the narrator's pain and anger about this, even having connotations of death in the poem.

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Context

The poem is thought to be an autobiographical account of one of Bryon’s affairs. He wrote it in 1808 but did not publish it until 1816 in order to hide the identity of the married woman. It is a slightly one sided poem.

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Form

The poem consists of four 8-line stanzas, and has a strong ABAB rhyme scheme and a regular rhythm. The rhythm emphasises certain syllables (e.g. "Cold" and "kiss" in line 6), which highlights the speaker's pain.

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Structure

The poem moves through time, the narrator constantly shifts between past, present and future. The juxtaposition of the past and present emphasises that there's no change in his feelings.

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Language of the senses

Typical love poetry uses descriptions that are pleasing to the sense, but in this poem, the narrator uses negative descriptions, such as the sight of his lover's "pale" cheek, the cold touch of "dew" and the gloomy sound of "knell".

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Language about silence and secrecy.

Silence is used to reflect how the relationship was secret, the narrator and his lover are silent when they part and the narrator is silent about their affair both in the past and in the present.

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Author

Lord Byron

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When We Two Parted

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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Back

Card 3

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Card 4

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Back

Card 5

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Back

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Similar English Literature resources: