"When We Two Parted" was written in 1816 by the British Romantic poet Lord Byron. It describes the pain and disillusionment that follow a break-up between the speaker and his lover. Though little detail is provided, it's implied that the original relationship was secret—most likely an extramarital affair—and that the speaker now feels bitter upon hearing about his lover having an affair with someone else. Most scholars believe this poem to be about Byron's relationship with Lady Frances Wedderburn-Webster, a married aristocrat with whom Byron had an alleged affair. She was later rumored to have also had an illicit relationship with the Duke of Wellington—a prominent British military leader—which in turn, the theory goes, prompted the writing of this poem.
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The Full Text of “When We Two Parted”
1When we two parted
2 In silence and tears,
3Half broken-hearted
4 To sever for years,
5Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
6 Colder thy kiss;
7Truly that hour foretold
8 Sorrow to this.
9The dew of the morning
10 Sunk chill on my brow—
11It felt like the warning
12 Of what I feel now.
13Thy vows are all broken,
14 And light is thy fame;
15I hear thy name spoken,
16 And share in its shame.
17They name thee before me,
18 A knell to mine ear;
19A shudder comes o'er me—
20 Why wert thou so dear?
21They know not I knew thee,
22 Who knew thee too well—
23Long, long shall I rue thee,
24 Too deeply to tell.
25In secret we met—
26 In silence I grieve,
27That thy heart could forget,
28 Thy spirit deceive.
29If I should meet thee
30 After long years,
31How should I greet thee?—
32 With silence and tears.
The Full Text of “When We Two Parted”
1When we two parted
2 In silence and tears,
3Half broken-hearted
4 To sever for years,
5Pale grew thy cheek and cold,
6 Colder thy kiss;
7Truly that hour foretold
8 Sorrow to this.
9The dew of the morning
10 Sunk chill on my brow—
11It felt like the warning
12 Of what I feel now.
13Thy vows are all broken,
14 And light is thy fame;
15I hear thy name spoken,
16 And share in its shame.
17They name thee before me,
18 A knell to mine ear;
19A shudder comes o'er me—
20 Why wert thou so dear?
21They know not I knew thee,
22 Who knew thee too well—
23Long, long shall I rue thee,
24 Too deeply to tell.
25In secret we met—
26 In silence I grieve,
27That thy heart could forget,
28 Thy spirit deceive.
29If I should meet thee
30 After long years,
31How should I greet thee?—
32 With silence and tears.
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“When We Two Parted” Summary
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“When We Two Parted” Themes
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Love and Disillusionment
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “When We Two Parted”
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Lines 1-4
When we two parted
In silence and tears,
Half broken-hearted
To sever for years, -
Lines 5-10
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— -
Lines 11-16
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. -
Lines 17-20
They name thee before me,
A knell to mine ear;
A shudder comes o'er me—
Why wert thou so dear? -
Lines 21-24
They know not I knew thee,
Who knew thee too well—
Long, long shall I rue thee,
Too deeply to tell. -
Lines 25-28
In secret we met—
In silence I grieve,
That thy heart could forget,
Thy spirit deceive. -
Lines 29-32
If I should meet thee
After long years,
How should I greet thee?—
With silence and tears.
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“When We Two Parted” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Aporia
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Diacope
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Enjambment
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Metaphor
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Apostrophe
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Epizeuxis
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Parallelism
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“When We Two Parted” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Sever
- Thy
- Chill
- Brow
- Vows
- Light
- Thee
- Knell
- Mine
- Shudder
- O'er
- Wert
- Thou
- Dear
- Rue
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “When We Two Parted”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“When We Two Parted” Speaker
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“When We Two Parted” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “When We Two Parted”
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More “When We Two Parted” Resources
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External Resources
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Poems About Break-ups — A contemporary list of poems on an age-old subject: saying goodbye to a relationship.
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Byron's Life and More Poems — A good resource from the Poetry Foundation with biographical details on Byron, plus more of his poems.
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A Scathing Review — A less-than-glowing review of Byron's first collection of poems.
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Lord Byron's Revenge — Byron launches an attack on the literary establishment—one which helped him make his name.
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Byron's Scandals — A documentary about Lord Byron's more salacious side.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by Lord Byron
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