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When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)

English Lit: AQA GCSE Poetry - Love & Relationships, topic 17.1.1

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...'

'Long, long shall I rue...'

  • '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'
  • This quote (lines 25-26) demonstrates the narrator’s frustration at his inability to share with others the nature of his pain.

Test yourself on When We Two Parted - Lord Byron (1788-1824)

  • Which quote from When We Two Parted gives the poem its circular structure?

  • What does the following quote suggest about the nature of the relationship in When We Two Parted?

    'In secret we met – In silence I grieve'

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