Lord Byron

Facts About Byron

• Byron loved swimming - swam across the Dardanelles, a strait between Europe and Asia.
• Byron participated in the Greek War of Independence - many romantics supported it because of Greece’s illustrious past.

Facts About Byron

• Byron always traveled with animals - dogs, cats, horses, monkeys, birds - which he allowed to roam free in his lodgings.
• Lord Byron was born with a club foot

Nothing hurts more than realizing a person meant everything to you and you meant nothing to them.

"When we two parted"

• 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.

2. The dew of the morning
Sunk chill on my brow--
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.

3. They name thee before me,
A knell to mine ear;

A shudder comes o’er me--

Why wert thou so dear?

They know not I knew thee,
Who knew thee too well--

Long, long shall I rue thee,
Too deeply to tell.

4. In secret we met--

In silence I grieve,

That thy heart could forget,
Thy spirit deceive.

If I should meet thee
After long years,

How should I greet thee?--

With silence and tears.

soapstone

• S: An older more mature person who has lost their loved one in a break up. (Most likely Byron himself)
• O: The speaker’s loved one has broken up with the speaker.
• A: The loved one that the speaker has lost, but his questions are rhetorical - talking in his own mind

soapstone (cont.)

• P: To establish and express the speaker’s feelings of solitude and sorrow over the breakup.
• S: The speaker took the breakup very heavily, and the poem portrays the speaker’s sorrow and emptiness. The speaker is mourning his breakup, and the split is almost like death to him.
• Tone: somber, grave

1st stanza

• In the lines 1 and 2, the speaker begins by explaining how the "parting" was very crushing but not dramatic.
• In lines 3 and 4, "half broken-hearted" means that his heart has been split in two from his dying love for her and the fact that she left him.

2nd stanza

• In line 10, he sets up a cold and unpleasant mood by using the words "sunk chill"
• In line 11 and 12, he describes his cold emptiness comparing it to cold morning dew
• In lines 15 and 16, he may be feeling somewhat responsible for his loved one cheating on him, like he didn't contribute enough to the relationship

3rd Stanza

• Her name is like a funeral bell
• Wonders why he loved her
• Other people don't understand
• Sadness turns to anger

4th Stanza

• In line 25 "In secret we met" this means he thinks of her or imagines her often in his isolation.
• In line 27 where it says "heart": seeing the goodness in her.
• Line 28 "deceive": bad side to her and part of him regrets knowing her.
• "Thy spirit deceive": The true self she is is a deceiving person.

4th Stanza Cont:

• Line 28 "forget": He thinks that because of this death-like breakup she will forget him.
• Line 30 "long years": Since this breakup is like death, he thinks that if he dies they will see one another again.

4th Stanza Cont:

• Line 32 "silence": not caring for her anymore (means nothing to him). "Tears": Misses her (does mean something to him).
• This whole stanza is a battle with himself because he is unsure how he feels about her.

Discussion Questions

• Based on this poem, do you think that Byron truly loved the subject (who left him)?
• Do you think that when it comes to breakups, do men and women’s reactions and forms of coping differ?
• How do you think writing this poem made Byron feel better about the loss? Do you think it made him feel worse?

How does this poem reflect Romantic Ideals?

Best line

• “They name thee before me, A knell to mine ear” This line expresses the speaker’s feelings toward the subject. It sets a somber tone and shows the complete devastation that the speaker feels about the breakup, and how the empty feelings are renewed every time he is reminded of her name.

multiple choice question!

A) capture the emotions at the beginning of a new relationship.
B) describe how beautiful his new girlfriend was.
C) describe the emotions one might feel after a bad breakup.
D) show his love of swimming through lyric poetryy.

Connection:

A breakup is like a broken mirror.
It's better to leave it than hurt yourself trying to pick up the pieces...