Lord Byron: 'When We Two Parted'

I came across this poem whilst studying it in the GCSE cluster- Love and Relationships earlier this week. I fell in love with it partly due to the rhythm and language but also to do with the mystery behind it. 

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.

This poem was published in 1816. The author was Lord George Gordon Byron, an infamous Regency womaniser and romantic. There is much speculation over who this poem was written about as it is almost certainly on of his many lovers. One suggestion is Lady Frances Webberton Webster yet another is Lady Caroline Lamb (the wife of Lord Melbourne- a close friend of Byron's and also a Prime Minister to Queen Victoria). One reason why these ladies may be the lover in the poem is because of the line: "Thy vows are all broken", referring to their wedding vows. Another proposal of the lover is a man... although in the early 1800s, homosexuality was illegal and punishable by death, Byron was known to have same- sex affairs. Comment down below who you think this poem is about.