"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 like the warning Of what I feel now" (9-12). Not only is he sad for the loss of his love, he is also wondering why he did not see it coming.
             As this poem continues, it is almost as if the persona is trying to justify his sadness by attacking his lover's reputation. 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. He is just another one of the men she has toyed with, and for this he is ashamed; so ashamed that he does not speak of their affair to anyone. This is evidenced in the lines "I hear thy name spoken, And share in its shame" (15-16). One would think that if this man knew of her reputation, he would...