When We Two Parted

“Go—Triumph securely” by Lord Byron (1814, published 1870)

This poem, published posthumously in Australia in 1870, is a reprint of George Gordon Byron’s rant at another lover, Caroline Lamb, with whom he had a tumultuous relationship. The poem is angry and does not hold the same level of regret that “When We Two Parted” does. However, several sentiments are similar, including “Go—triumph securely—the treacherous vow / Thou hast broken, I keep” (Lines 1-2) and “never again shall thou be to my heart / What thou wert—what I fear for a moment thou art” (Lines 3-4). Byron also includes lines identical to the excised fifth stanza of “When We Two Parted” (Lines 14-16). The poem was unpublished in Byron’s lifetime. The newspaper that published the poem notes the error in dictation of lines from another source but misses that the date of composition is incorrect. The original sources said the poem was written in “autumn 1814 before the second proposal to Miss Millbanke, and after he had been thrown over by Lady F. W. W. in favour of an illustrious warrior.” This reference to Frances perpetuates the idea that she threw Byron over, mistaking her involvement with Wellington as occurring a year earlier than it did.

“To Genevra” by Lord Byron (1814)

This sonnet was contained within The Corsair and is said to be written about Frances. The description shows that Frances is beautiful when she blushes, but Byron prefers her “pale cheek” (Line 1) and her “deep-blue eyes” (Line 5) undazzled. He loves how her “[g]entleness / [g]leams like a seraph from the sky descending” (Lines 10-11), which blends her “majesty with sweetness” (Line 13). He approves of this distance but “cannot love [her] less” (Line 14). This poem is an interesting companion to “When We Two Have Parted” as it is clear that Byron wants to engage with Frances, and she is holding to her propriety. The description of her face is echoed in the latter poem’s “Pale grew thy cheek and cold” (Line 4), perhaps a deliberate callback to this poem, which shows Byron’s respect and unachieved desire intertwined.

“Thou Art Not False, Thou Art Fickle” by Lord Byron (1814)

This version of “Thou Art Not False, Thou Art Fickle” was published with an illustration in The Byron Moore Gallery: A Series of Classical Illustrations by Eminent Artists in 1873. The poem is printed along with a short essay about fickleness and advice on love matches. While some have said the poem, written in 1814, is about Frances, others suggest it may have been written about another of Byron’s lovers. Some of the sentiment is echoed in the later “When We Two Parted.” In this poem, Byron notes “thou art fickle / [to] those thyself so fondly sought” (Line 2), and that lover in question has caused him “tears” (Line 3), which “breaks the heart” (Line 5). He chides her, “too well thou lov’st—too soon thou leavest” (Lines 5-6). He also notes “she can change who loved so truly” (Line 11), which is another echo that appears in the later poem.