TO WOMAN, George Gordon, Lord Byron

TO WOMAN

 

George Gordon, Lord Byron

 

 

 

 

 

Woman! experience might have told me

 

That all must love thee who vehold thee:

 

Surely experience might have taught

 

Thy firmest promises are nought:

 

 

 

But, placed in all thy charms before me,

 

All I forget. but to adore thee.

 

 

 

Oh memory! thou choicest blessing:

 

When join'd with hope, when still possessing.

 

But how much cursed by every lover

 

When hope is fled and pssion's over.

 

 

 

Woman, that fair and fond deceiver,

 

 

 

How prompt are striplings to believe her!

 

How throbs the pulse when first we view

 

The eye that rolls in glossy blue.

 

Or sparkles black, or mildly throws

 

A beam from under hazel brows!

 

And hear her plight the willing troth!

 

Fondly we hope't will last for aye.

 

When, lo! she changes in a day.

 

 

 

This record for ever stand.

 

"Woman, thy vows are traced in sand."

 

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meaning

 

For a Woman is a poem by George Gordon Byron that deals with the complex feelings of love for a woman and her fickleness.

 

 

 

When the narrator encounters the bewitching figure of the woman he loves, he forgets everything and falls in love with her. However, over time, her woman's true self is revealed, leaving the narrator disappointed.

 

 

 

The speaker describes her woman as a beautiful, affectionate liar. She believes that a woman lies to seduce the man she loves.

 

 

 

The speaker curses the memories of her love. Memories of love are a blessing while love lasts, but when love ends, she thinks it actually causes pain.

 

 

 

Through this poem, Byron reveals his skeptical view of the nature of love. He believes that love ultimately ends in disappointment.

 

 

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 was a pure young man who believed in love. One day, he met a beautiful woman and fell in love.

 

 

 

The man fell in love with the woman's beautiful appearance and sweet words. He decided to believe her woman's oath and marry her.

 

 

 

But after marriage, the man came to know the true nature of his lady. She said the woman was a liar and did not truly feel her love.

 

 

 

The man was greatly disappointed. He lost his faith in love and became pessimistic about the world.

 

question

 

Student: What does the phrase "a woman's oaths are written in the sand" mean in To a Woman?

 

Professor: That phrase means that a woman's oath is easily changed. Just as words written in the sand are blown away by the wind, a woman's oath can easily be changed.

 

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Student: “Besides your feelings about the woman, what other themes are covered in the poem?”

 

Professor: “The poem deals not only with the moment of falling in love with the beauty of a woman, but also with a critical look at the nature of love and the whims of a woman when hope is lost and the flame of passion is extinguished.”

 

 

 

Terms

 

Oath: A solemn promise or commitment to perform a specified action or behavior.

 

A solemn promise or promise to perform a specific act or action.

 

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Curse: A prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon someone or something.

 

A prayer or curse that wishes harm on someone or something.