Here is a poem by Lord Byron called "When We Two Parted." It is one of the things we had to read and write about in my English Literature class and I wanted to share it with you to see what you all think about it. I will give you my input later, but first here is the poem:
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.
So, what do you guys think this poem is about? What happened to the man and woman? Use your imagination and interpret it however you want to. This is what I think.
I believe that this relationship is a secret affair that the narrator was having with a woman. I am not sure whether they were both cheating on their spouses or if it was just the narrator, but either way it was secret. I also believe that the woman was lower in social class than the narrator, that is part of the reason he is shameful. I think he is also ashamed of his actions deep inside, but it was something he could not stop. I also believe that this might be partly autobiographical, and the narrator could be Byron, but that part will obviously never been known for sure. Now here is where I tend to drift off from what most people in my class believe. I believe that the affair ended because the woman died. That is why at the end of the poem he talks about his "spirit deceive" and if they "meet after long years." I think he is talking about if he should meet her in the after-life would be able to talk to her, and the answer is no. I believe something happened between these two lovers that caused the woman's death. There are various scenarios that I can imagine, such as because she was lower in class than he was, maybe his wife found out and she was killed to avoid a scandal. Or maybe the woman was a prostitute and she developed a relationship with the narrator, however she had to continue to make a living and one day the narrator walked in on her with another man and killed them both. There are several other scenarios I can come up with, but the point is I believe that this poem has a bit more shroud and mystery than most people first realize. Yes, we wonder about the relationship between the two people but I believe there is more to the story, and the reader has to open their mind to any possibility in order to see the entire picture. I think you have to read this poem several times in order to get a good understanding of what the poem is about and to allow your imagination to open up enough to come up with different scenarios. I am sure most people will say I am "reaching" or "stretching" in order to come up with my conclusions. However, that is what is great about personal interpretation.
So, like I said before tell me what you think, I still have not had anyone post anything but hey maybe one day someone will. Anyway tell me what you think the poem is about or what happened in the poem or what it really means or ANYTHING YOU WANT TO POST. It really doesn't matter because like I said that is the beauty of personal interpretation, you can't be wrong because it is your personal thought or belief.
Well as always this is Silas Marner signing off and remember my MOTTO and #1 rule in life!!! For any newcomers I will post them both below.
MOTTO: "When a defining moment comes, you either define the moment or the moment defines you!"
#1 RULE IN LIFE: Never bet money you don't have on a dog race with an ex-girlfriend who just happens to be a stripper!
Now both of those are words to live by people. Well that's all for now so keep an eye out for the next post of the life and times of the REAL Silas Marner.
~Silas~
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