Saturday, January 7, 2012

When We Two Parted



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
Sunk 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.


Poem - George Gordon Byron, Lord Byron. 1788-1824
Image - The Convalescent (detail) Gwen John. 1876-1939

40 comments:

J Cosmo Newbery said...

George had a way with words, didn't he? Thank you Dianne, I hope 2012 is looking good for you.

Rahul Bhatia said...

Thanks for sharing this lovely poem , Dianne!

Joop Zand said...

It's as alway very very nice Dianne, my compliments for your work.

hugs and a kiss, Joop

Giga said...

Wspaniały cytat i wymowne zdjęcie Pozdrawiam.

Wonderful quote and eloquent picture Yours.

Romantik Seelchen said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
HLiza said...

Parting is never easy..lovely words there to describe the heavy emotion. Hope 2012 has been good to you so far Dianne..

dianne said...

Yes dear J Cosmo , Byron certainly penned some beautful poems.
Thank you, I am hoping that 2012 will be a good year.

xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Thank you dear Rahul , it is a lovely poem and I am happy that you enjoyed the words of Byron.
xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Thank you dear Joop , I have not been inspired to write any poems recently so I thought I would share this poem of Lord Byron with you.

hugs and kiss, Dianne.

xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Dziękuję drodzy Giga , tak wiersz jest piękny i wybrałem ten obraz ze względu na spokój i piękno.
pozdrowienia

Thank you dear Giga , yes the poem is lovely and I chose this painting because of its serenity and beauty.
Greetings

xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Danke, liebe Jasmin , ja, es ist ein schöner, tiefer Gedicht.
Ja, muss ich sagen, Abschied von meiner gestrigen und freuen uns mit der Hoffnung, meine morgen.
Vielen Dank für Ihre schönen Worte und Deine Freundschaft.
Liebe und freundlichen Grüßen, Dianne.
xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Thank you dear HLiza , yes some beautiful words from Byron, he writes with such eloquence.

I am hoping that 2012 will be a good year but I never expect too much.

I am looking forward to Iqa's good news, you sound very excited. :)

xoxoxo ♡

Shweta Tiwari said...

Dianne,

Thanks a lot for sharing the poem. It beautifully describes the pain of parting away.

Hope you are having a wonderful new year.

Love
Shweta

dianne said...

Thank you dearest Shweta , yes, the description of the pain we feel is so real and you and I have both experienced it.
I hope you have now found someone worthy of your affections or if not, you are content to be your own person on your own terms, you are young and have a great life before you.
I hope the New Year holds many good blessings for you.

No, not a great start to the New Year, but I can see it getting much better.

Love to you sweet girl,
Dianne.
xoxoxo ♡

Leovi said...

Yes, it is a delightful and poignant love poem. Besos.

Marty said...

beautiful poem Dianne ! Love the painting too !
I wish you a lovely new week
bisous

Anonymous said...

the dude
certainly had
a way with words...

    Why wert thou so dear? -- cool

well, hoping your 2012 is a good one, dianne <3

× × ×

/t.

Antonio Machado said...

Hello Dianne,
very beautiful text and pictures!
Congratulations

dianne said...

Thank you dear friend Leovi , I am so pleased that you found the beauty in this sad love poem.
Besos
xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Thank you dear Marty , yes this is a beautiful poem, I have it amongst my collection of favourite poems. The painting by Gwen John is lovely and I feel her expression conveys the sadness and heartbreak of her feelings in the poem.
bisous

xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Thank you dear friend /t. , the 'dude':) as you have put it certainly did have a way with words.

I think that line Why wert thou so dear? is so precious.

Well yes, I am hoping my 2012 is a good year, thank you.

xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Thank you dear Antonio, yes a beautiful poem from Lord Byron and an equally lovely painting.
xoxoxo ♡

JUAN FUENTES said...

Tu poema és una apologia de los sentimientos,lleva muchos años escrito pero su actualidad és latente.
La foto que me comenta está echa en la desembocadura del rio Guadalquivir
en Sanlucar de Barrameda(Cadiz)
Gracias por tus acertados comentários
Juan

Leovi said...

Love always leaves a mark. Besos.

dianne said...

Gracias Juan, sí, es un poema triste. Así que la foto fue tomada en Cádiz, un lugar hermoso!
Un fuerte abrazo
xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Thank you dear Leovi , yes a mark or a scar.
Besos.
xoxoxo ♡

Fernando Santos (Chana) said...

Bela imagem...belo poema...Espectacular....
Cumprimentos

Magia da Inês said...

°º♫
°º✿ Muito emocionante e triste!!!
º° ✿♥ ♫° ·. Boa semana!
✿⊱╮Beijos do Brasil.

Shweta Tiwari said...

Thanks Dianne for visiting my blog. I have not found anyone , but even I'm not looking for it. I think I'm enjoying single-hood again and the abundant freedom.

I wish this year gets better and better for you each day.

Take care
love

Shweta

Art said...

Amazing poem Dianne! Beautiful picture!
Have a wonderful week!

dianne said...

Obrigado querido Fernando.
saudações
xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Obrigado querida Inês , sim um poema triste.
Tenha uma boa semana!
xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Thank you dear Shweta , I am pleased that you are enjoying yourself.

Take care,
Love Dianne
xoxox ♡

dianne said...

Thank you dear Art , I am happy that you enjoyed the words of Lord Byron and the beautiful painting.
You have a wonderful week also!

xoxoxo ♡

Leovi said...

Silence can be very destructive. Besos.

JUAN FUENTES said...

Tus pàrabienes a mis fotografias hacen que mis fantasias vuelen más alto.
Un fuerte abrazo
Juan

dianne said...

Yes dear Leovi , I know it is and how it feels.
Besos
xoxoxo ♡

dianne said...

Gracias, querido Juan , que es bueno saber que puedo ayudarle.
Un fuerte abrazo
xoxoxo ♡

Craftsman of light said...

Hello Sweet Dianne,
Hope the year has begun well for you....and all that is happy and joyful follow you throughout the year.
And may life be as robust as healthy.
i thankyou for your friendship which is sweet as you!
And thankyou for Byron too!!

hugs
col

dianne said...

Thank you dearest col , for your lovely wishes and words of kindness.
It is so good to see you here again.
I think of you often, you are never far from my thoughts that is why I visited your blog on Monday, then you posted your beautiful poem.
I hope you are well and still enjoying the beauty of trees, I hope this year holds many blessings for you.
Thank you for your friendship.
I am pleased that you enjoyed the words of Lord Byron, he was penned some amazing poems.
I found an interesting article regarding his love poems and another poem which was not published, I have included the poem here, the link and an excerpt from the article.

Love and hugs, Dianne
xoxoxo ♡

Famous Love Poetry brings you the best love poetry from Lord Byron.

"Byron's famous love poetry gives us a glimpse of the tremendous passions that moved him.

Lord Byron's hedonistic lifestyle and much recorded cavalier and scandalous treatment of his many women certainly does not lend credence to any reputation he might have as a caring and sensitive soul, but maybe this next example of his famous love poetry can be seen as proof of some redeeming evidence.

His first true love at the age of 16, was Mary Chaworth who two years older, was derisive about his devotion to her. Byron, already aware of the doomed outcome of this unrequited love, wrote with a pencil in a volume of Madame de Maintenon's letters, belonging to her, the following verses, which was never published:

"Oh Memory, torture me no more,

The present's all o'ercast;

My hopes of future bliss are o'er,

In mercy veil the past.

Why bring those images to view

I henceforth must resign ?

Ah ! why those happy hours renew,

That never can be mine?

Past pleasure doubles present pain,

To sorrow adds regret,

Regret and hope are both in vain,

I ask but to — forget."


Years later, after contracting an unhappy marriage, she sought vainly to rekindle his interest, at a time his fame as a great poet was burgeoning. As is often the case in such matters, it was far too late."

http://www.love-poetry-of-the-world.com/famous-love-poetry-lord-byron.html