WHEN WE TWO PARTED, George Gordon, Lord Byron

WHEN WE TWO PARTED

George Gordon, Lord Byron

 

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.

 

If I should meet thee-

After long years,

How should I greet thee?-

With silence and tears.

 

 

 

 

Meaning

 

George Gordon Byron's poem "The Day We Parted" is a poem that expresses sadness and regret over parting from a loved one. The poet says that on the day they parted, his heart was torn and he shed tears in silence. Your cheeks are frozen blue and your kisses are even colder. These descriptions clearly reveal the sadness and despair of separation.

 

 

In terms of the time period, this poem shows love during the Romantic era. During the Romantic era, there was a strong perception that love was intense and passionate, but also tragic. In 19th century Britain, society was rapidly changing due to the influence of the Industrial Revolution. These social changes also had a significant impact on individual lives. It appears that the speaker of the poem and his loved one also had to separate due to the effects of these social changes.

 

George Gordon, Lord Byron

 

Born in January 1788 into an English noble family, he attended Cambridge University. He was married twice. Because of his outstanding appearance, he led a dissolute life in London society, including scandals and love affairs. He got married at the age of 28 and divorced at the age of 29, and soon left England to live in Italy and other countries, where he died of malaria in 1824 at the age of 37. He was born with a limp and wrote many love poems to women.

 

Story

 

Once upon a time, a young man met the woman he loved and fell in love with her. The two lived happily ever after, but one day something happened that forced the man to leave his woman. Before the man left her, he said to her:

 

“The day we broke up, I didn’t know what I would do. I was so heartbroken and sad that I couldn’t find words.”

 

The woman shed tears after hearing the man's words. She hated seeing him leave her too.

 

The day of separation finally came. The two hugged each other and sobbed. The man kissed her woman's cheek. That kiss was so cold.

 

The man left the woman, and the woman waited for the man. Years passed and the man met the woman again. But the two people had already changed. The man missed the woman, but the woman could not forgive the man. The two looked at each other and were silent.

 

Question

 

Student: Professor, what does the line in this poem mean, “The thought of living apart for so many years broke my heart and brought me to silent tears.”

 

Professor: That passage expresses how sad the poet was at the thought of having to be separated from his loved one for a long time, and that he didn't know how to express his sadness, so he just shed tears in silence.

 

 

Student: What does the phrase “your cheeks froze blue and your kisses grow colder” mean?

 

Professor:  That phrase expresses how great the sorrow is of parting from a loved one. The poet's lover was so overcome with the sorrow of her parting that her cheeks froze blue, and the kiss turned cold.

 

 

Student: What does the phrase mean, "If I meet you again in the future - how will I greet you? With silence and tears."

 

Professor: That phrase expresses the poet's worries about how to greet his loved one when they meet again after breaking up with him. The poet had no choice but to express her sadness through silence and tears.

 

Terms

 

separation =  parting, divorce

 

Sadness = sorrow, grief

 

despair =  hopelessness, despondency

 

passionate =  ardent, enthusiastic

 

Tragic =  sorrowful, pitiful