When We Two Parted: Lord Byron

'When we two parted' - he addresses his former lover directly which makes the poem feel more personal. This contrasts with the use of 'they' in stanza 3 - this hints at a bond between the narrator and his lover which keeps them separate from others.
'Half broken-hearted' - this could suggest they weren't properly in love with each other. However, it's clear that the narrator was deeply affected by their parting, so maybe he's accusing his lover of only being half in love with him. He could also be referring to himself as 'Half' of the couple, meaning that he's broken-hearted and his former lover isn't. However, this could also mean that the narrator could never fully invest in the relationship as she was never his.
'Pale grew thy cheek and cold' - the narrator describes his lover like a corpse. This suggests that her feelings for him have died.
'thy cheek and cold, Colder thy kiss' - the repetition of harsh 'k' sound emphasises coldness. Also, it suggests there is no life left in the kiss and a kiss is meant to be intimate which shows her feelings being dead.
'The dew of the morning Sunk chill on my brow' - 'dew' is like a cold sweat, like an omen of the suffering to follow. Also, 'sunk chill highlights the coldness between him and her and the anxiety he feels knowing it has come to an end. It also highlights his heavy, deep sadness.
'And share in its shame' - he feels he's involved in her 'shame' because he also had an affair with her. Also, the alliteration of 'sh' sound links to silence.
1. Silence is used to reflect how the relationship was kept secret - the narrator and his lover are silent when they part and the narrator is silent about their affair both in the past and present. This silence contrasts with the voices of his friends in stanza 3, which draws attention to the fact that the speaker is unable to express how he feels - he must stay silent about the affair.
'A knell in mine ear' - the Metaphor suggests that her name sounds like a death knell to him - it reminds him of the death of their relationship.
'Long, long shall I rue thee' - Repetition of 'long' highlights how long he'll feel regret. Also, 'rue' shows that he doesn't just feel sadness but also regrets their relationship because he suffered a lot.
'In silence I grieve' - Because nobody knew they were lovers, he can't talk about his pain. The verb 'grieve' shows he mourns their relationship like a death.
'If I should meet thee' - The poem then switches to talk about the future.
'Of what I feel now' - The poem switches to talk about the present. The juxtaposition of the past and present emphasises that there is no change in his feelings
'With silence and tears' - Repetition from stanza 1 highlights secrecy and sorrow - he's still hurting and is unable to move on. It also suggests he wants her to see how much she's hurt him.
Form - The poem has a strong ABAB rhyme scheme and regular rhythm. The rhythm emphasises certain syllables such as 'cold' and 'kiss' in stanza 1 which highlights the speakers pain.

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When We Two Parted: Lord Byron

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	Created by Aliyah Huggins about 8 years ago