“When We Two Parted” is a romantic poem about a secret love, a love that is lost. The persona is speaking of this lost love and how it has affected him. His heart, which has not let go of this love, is broken and he is dwelling on these feelings. This poem brings the reader back to a time when they have maybe won and lost at love and have felt just as this persona is feeling. But this poem is not just about a secret lost love. It also gives the reader a man’s perspective on woman and her power to make a man fall in love with her, no matter what the cost.
The persona’s sad emotional state is relayed in the first lines of the poem. They read, “When we two parted In silence and tears, Half broken-hearted To sever for years” (1-4). This man is quietly crying with the pain of a broken heart, pain that will last for many years. The persona then feels like he should have seen this heartbreak coming for “Pale grew thy cheek and cold, Colder thy kiss; Truly that hour foretold Sorrow to this” (5-8). This feeling of warning is continued in the next stanza of the poem “The dew of the morning Sunk chill on my brow- It felt
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But at the end of this poem of love, the persona knows he will really never forget. He was sad and bitter, just as the persona in this poem. And if the pain disappears, he just might be able to convince himself that he ever loved this woman at all. If he can forget about this love, then the pain in his heart would disappear. It is here that you get his feelings of regret. Not only is he sad for the loss of his love, he is also wondering why he did not see it coming. In the end, it was my power as a woman that made him fall in love with me, no matter what the cost. The lines “Thy vows are all broken, And light is thy fame” (13-14), bear meaning that this woman was known for playing with men’s hearts and then leaving them heartbroken. Even after the passing of many years, he will always remember her love and the sadness it brought him when he lost it. This is evidenced in the lines “I hear thy name spoken, And share in its shame” (15-16). As a man, he did not want to admit that he was also at fault, so he blamed me, a woman, for the loss of his love.
In the last of this poem, the persona wants to forget about the love and pain he has endured for he writes “That thy heart could forget, Thy spirit deceive” (26-27). He is saying that he will always keep their love a secret, locked deep down inside. Regret for falling in love with her, regret for losing her love, and regret that he is still too ashamed to let their love be known. It also made me remember my love’s reaction at the end.
Approximate Word count =
761
Approximate Pages =
3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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