when we two parted

Question 1

form

Answer 1

the poem consists of four 8-line stanzas and ha s a strong ABAB rhyme scheme and regular rhythm.
The rhythm emphasises certain syllables (eg. “cold” and “kiss” in line 6) which highlights the speakers pain

Question 2

what is the poem about

Answer 2

the narrator recalls the day he and his lover parted - she didn’t seem to have any affection for him anymore. he believes that the sadness he felt then foreshadowed the sadness he feels in the present.
Although time has passed, even hearing her name affects the narrator deeply.He hears people talking about her affairs with other men and he feels hurt by her actions.
He thinks that he’ll always feel hurt– if he meets her again he’ll act just the same as when they parted.

Question 3

structure

Answer 3

the poem moves through time – the narrator constantly shifts between past, present and future. The juxtaposition of the past and present emphasises that there is no change in his feelings.

Question 4

language about death

Answer 4

“pale grew thy cheek and cold”
the narrator describes his lover like a corpse. suggests that her feelings for him have died
highlights his lovers lack of feelings towards him

Question 5

language of the senses

Answer 5

typical love poetry uses descriptions that are pleasing to the senses, but in this poem , the narrator uses negative descriptions, such as the sight of his lovers “pale” cheek, the “cold” touch of “dew” and the funeral sound of “knell”. this emphasises how he’s lost love. and hurt by it.

Question 6

language about silence and secrecy

Answer 6

“in silence and tears”
silence is used to reflect how the relationship was secret – the narrator and his lover are silent when they part and the narrator is silent about their affair both in the past and in the present. this silence contrasts with the voices of his friends in the third stanza-> “too deeply to tell”. this draws attention to the fact that the spekaer is unable to express how he feels– must stay silent about the affair

Question 7

grief

Answer 7

the narrator mourns in the end of the relationship as though its death

Question 8

anger

Answer 8

the narator seems angry that his lover has broken promises and is having affairs with other men

“I hear thy name spoken”

Question 9

regret

Answer 9

he regrets the relationship beause of the way things turned out– he suffered a lot.

Question 10

Direct address

Answer 10

“We two” - makes the poem feel more personal