When We Two Parted
by Lord George Gordon Byron

English romantic poet and satirist. Principal works include Childe Harolde's Pilgrimage (1812-18), The Bride of Abydos, The Corsair and The Giaour (1813), Lara (1814), The Prisoner of Chillon (1816), Beppo (1817), Don Juan (1819), The Two Foscari (1821), Sardanapalus and Cain (1821), Werner, The Age of Bronze and The Island (1823). His letters and journals, many of them apparently written with an eye for publication are also considered to be part of his opus. Byron enjoyed a vast and durable reputation as a poet and his character, unconventional lifestyle and poetic style have synthesised to create the image of the Byronic hero.

Other romantic poets include Keats, Burns, Coleridge and Wordsworth.

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When We Two Parted
by Lord George Gordon Byron

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.

The dew of the morning
Sank 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.

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.

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.

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When We Two Parted by Lord George Gordon Byron