"When We Two Parted" is a poem by George Gordon Byron, written in 1816. He was hierarchically known as 6th Baron Byron and simply as Lord Byron. He was born in Jan 1788 and died in Apr 1824. He was an English poet, politician, and gained fame for his revolutionary thoughts on the Greek War of Independence. He is one of the prominent figures of the Romantic era. His poem "When We Two Parted" reveals his pain which followed a break up with his lover. It is considered that his relationship was secret, most probably an extramarital affair. He grieved upon discovering his lover having an affair with someone else. It is accepted with common consent that his relationship was with an aristocrat, Lady Frances Wedderburn-Webster who was already married. Rumors of her other affair, with Duke of Wellington, prompted the idea of this poem. Lord Byron wrote the poem after break up and upon discovering the affair of his ex-lover. The poem also proves that Byron still feels dearly for his beloved.
The title of the poem "When We Two Parted" signifies the separation of two lovers. The poet has prepared the reader for a painful and aching event that has left the poet in a state of permanent torment. He is going to talk about two lovers who are parting from each other and the emotions associated with this break up are converted into words by Lord Byron. The title itself arouses catharsis in the reader before beginning the poem.
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 poem has four stanzas, each of eight verses. It talks about all the three times, past, present, and future. In the first stanza, the poet tells about a past event from his life when he and his lover were breaking up. He recalls the moment when they were separating silently with heavy hearts and tearful eyes. He reveals his grief by telling that both he and his lover will stay heartbroken for the rest of their lives. They are parting from each other and will be left in half because together they were complete. He explains the condition of his lover at the time of separation as she grew pale and cold. The imagery of 'pale and cold' shows the intensified emotions of the poet. She probably lost all her feelings for him. He compares her last kiss with those before and declares it colder. He connects the pain of that past moment with his present condition, he still feels the pain as freshly as it was in that moment. The rhyme scheme used in the stanza is ABABCDCD, and the alliteration in lines 5-6 emphasizes his lover's cold feelings and colder last kiss. Repetition of hard sound 'k' in cheek, cold, colder, and kiss tells about his lover's changed feelings for him. The poet also uses the metaphor 'broken-hearted' for himself. His heart isn't practically broken but the heartache he is feeling made him use the metaphor. Enjambment can also be seen in the 1st line extending to the 2nd giving a pause a sigh which denotes the disappointment of the poet while writing these verses.
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.
In the second stanza, the poet links the past with the present through the pain he is carrying because of his lover. He says that the morning dew on his forehead is predicting the coldness of emotions which he will feel due to the past incident. He is yet not done with the heartache and he grieves whenever he recalls that incident. He addresses his lover, telling her that she broke all her promises made with him and her fame is like light spread all around the country. He continues telling her that he hears people gossiping about her and due to some reason they talk of her in shame which the poet hurtfully shares with them. He feels embarrassed as people talk about her affairs. The rhyme scheme is the same as in the previous stanza. Alliteration inline 16, "share in its shame" signifies his immense grief when he hears strangers talking about his lover. Just like the first stanza, the second stanza is also characterized by enjambment, especially in lines 9-10 and 15-16.
They name thee before me,
A knell to mine ear,
A shudder comes o'er me
Why was thou so dear?
They know not I knew thee,
Who knew thee so well:
Long, long shall I rue thee,
Too deeply to tell.
In the third stanza the poet talks about the present, when people gossip or talk about his lover in front of him, it reminds him of his past and his beloved which is more like his funeral bell ringing. He compares his lover's name with the heavy metal bell, rung slowly at funerals. He asks himself in a condition of extreme sorrow and pain, that why he loved her so much that upon hearing her name he feels the experience of near death. He explains further that the people talking about his beloved didn't know that he knows her whereas he knows her very well. He uses the first person pronoun for himself, revealing the autobiographical element in the poem. He ends the stanza with words showing continuity of his suffering, he will regret for the rest of his life the relationship he had. He is suffering in such an abundance that he can't express it further. Knell, the sound of the funeral bell is used as a metaphor for the name of his lover. Alliteration can be seen in lines 21-22 as know, not, knew, and knew. It emphasizes the privacy of his relationship.
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.
In the last stanza, he connects the present with the future. He says that their relationship was a secret and hidden one so he will grieve in silence and privately. He cannot share his sorrow with anyone else. Love, for him, is the best feeling in the world and to be with your beloved is the only beautiful time. If his lover values something else over their love, and she has forgotten him, she must be deceived. In this sorrowful state, he disappointingly talks about the future, directly addressing his lover he asks that when they meet after many years, how should he greet her? After all that torment, he has no better way to greet her but with silence and tears. There is a repetition of the phrase "silence and tears" in the last stanza which signifies completeness of thought. The use of the first-person pronoun coupled with the context, make the poem highly autobiographical. Anaphora is there in the starting lines of stanza 4 when the poet refers to the time of his secret relationship. Throughout the poem, the poet has used the same rhyme scheme with a varying meter which shows the inconsistency of his emotions.
In conclusion, I would say that the poem right from the onset is discussing a broken relationship. The title itself points to a breakup. The poet has given words to his grief, he recalls his relationship with his lover who has abandoned him and all kinds of affectionate feelings for him. He grieves when people discuss his lover's other affairs, and he also foresees his sufferings which will stay beside him for the rest of his life. It's a lyric poem, highly autobiographical which arouses catharsis in the reader as he reads through the sentiments of Lord Byron.
Contributor
Tanveer Shafi, is a student of MA-English at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML), Islamabad.
It's really helpful
ReplyDeleteThanks sir