THE TEAR, George Gordon, Lord Byron

THE TEAR

George Gordon, Lord Byron

 

 

When Friendship or Love our sympathies move,

When Truth in a glance should appear,

The lips may beguile with a dimple or smile,

But the test of affection's Tear.

 

Too oft is a smile but the hypocrite's wile,

To mask detestation or fear;

Give me the soft sigh, whilst the soul-telling eye

Is dimm'd for a time with Tear.

 

Though my vows I can pour to my Mary no more,

My Mary to Love once so dear,

In the shade of her bower I remember the hour

She rewarded those vows with a Tear.

 

By another possestm may she live ever blest

Her name still my heart must revere:

With sigh I resign what I once thought was mine,

And forgive her deceit with a Tear.

 

When my soul wings her flight to the regions of night,

And my corse shall recline on its bier,

As ye pass by the tomb where my ashes consume.

Oh! moisten their dust with a Tear.

 

Meaning

 

Tears is a poem by George Gordon Byron that talks about the meaning and value of tears. The speaker of the poem sees tears as an expression of sincere emotions and smiles as an expression of hypocrisy. The speaker says that it takes a single tear to confirm the sincerity of friendship or love.

 

 

 

In terms of its time period, Tears is a work that reflects the emotionalism of the Romantic era. In the Romantic era, emotions were more important than reason, and it was important to freely express one's emotions. Tears were an expression of this emotionalism and were seen as a means of expressing one's true feelings.

 

 

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 there was a man. He loved a woman named Mary. The two truly loved each other, and the man made a vow to Mary. Mary responded to her man's oath with her tears.

 

However, as time passed, the two separated. Mary married someone else, and the man could not forget her.

 

The man often visited Mary's grave. He missed Mary, shedding a single tear at her grave.

 

The man loved Mary until his death. He then shed a single tear at his grave and asked that Mary be remembered.

 

 

 

Question

 

Student: What does the line in Tears mean, “A smile is a hypocrite’s trick to cover up hatred or fear”?

 

 

 

P: That phrase means that a smile doesn't always express true emotions. Smiling can sometimes be used as a means to mask negative emotions such as hatred or fear. Therefore, in order to confirm true emotions, we should pay attention to tears rather than smiles.

 

 

 

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Student: What does the phrase in Tears mean, “May she live happily ever after, even though she is now in another’s arms, her name will my heart still honor”?

 

 

 

Professor: That phrase means that the man accepts that Mary is married to someone else and wishes her happiness. The man still loves her Mary, but he lets her go for her happiness. And her name will forever be remembered in the hearts of men.