1.1.4
Key Quotes & Comparisons
Key Quotations: When We Two Parted
Key Quotations: When We Two Parted
Here are some key quotations to remember from When We Two Parted:
'Silence and tears'
'Silence and tears'
- 'When we two parted / In silence and tears...How should I greet thee? - / With silence and tears'.
- The repetition of the "in silence and tears" at both the beginning and the end of the poem gives it a circular structure, demonstrating that our narrator is unable to move on.
'Long, long shall I rue thee...'
'Long, long shall I rue thee...'
- 'Long, long shall I rue thee / Too deeply to tell'.
- The word "rue" means to bitterly regret. So this line suggests that he feels that the relationship was not worth the intense pain he feels now.
'In secret we met...'
'In secret we met...'
- 'In secret we met - / In silence I grieve' (lines 25-26).
- This quote (lines 25-26) demonstrates the narrator’s frustration at his inability to share with others the nature of his pain.
Key Comparisons: When We Two Parted
Key Comparisons: When We Two Parted
Here are some suggestions for poems you could compare When We Two Parted to. Remember, there are endless options!
Neutral Tones
Neutral Tones
- Contrasts:
- Neutral Tones has a muted tone (which contrasts to Byron’s dramatic narration).
- Uses natural imagery.
- Similarities:
- Circular structure.
- Another narrator stuck in a painful situation.
- Use of death imagery to describe his lover.
- Ominous and foreboding language.
Porphyria’s Lover
Porphyria’s Lover
- Contrasts:
- You could consider contrasting the use of language around death. Browning uses language to make it seem like his lover is still alive, in contrast to Byron.
- Similarities:
- Very similar rigid form used to contrast to the narrator’s uncontrolled mental state.
1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)
2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
4.1Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ Analysis
5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)
6.1Letters from Yorkshire Analysis
7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)
8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)
8.1Walking Away Analysis
9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)
10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
10.1Follower Analysis
11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963
11.1'Mother, Any Distance' Analysis
12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)
12.1Before You Were Mine Analysis
13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)
14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)
14.1Singh Song! Analysis
15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse
15.1Climbing My Grandfather Analysis
16Grade 9 - Comparisons
16.1Grade 9 - Comparisons
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1When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)
2Love’s Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
3Porphyria’s Lover - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
4Sonnet 29 - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)
4.1Sonnet 29 – ‘I think of thee!’ Analysis
5Neutral Tones - Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)
6Letters from Yorkshire - Maura Dooley (Born 1957)
6.1Letters from Yorkshire Analysis
7The Farmer’s Bride - Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)
8Walking Away - Cecil Day Lewis (1904-1972)
8.1Walking Away Analysis
9Eden Rock - Charles Causley (1917-2003)
10Follower - Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)
10.1Follower Analysis
11‘Mother, Any Distance’ - Simon Armitage (Born1963
11.1'Mother, Any Distance' Analysis
12Before You Were Mine - Carol Ann Duffy (Born 1955)
12.1Before You Were Mine Analysis
13Winter Swans - Owen Sheers (Born 1974)
14Singh Song! - Daljit Nagra (Born 1966)
14.1Singh Song! Analysis
15Climbing My Grandfather - Andrew Waterhouse
15.1Climbing My Grandfather Analysis
16Grade 9 - Comparisons
16.1Grade 9 - Comparisons
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