but because in his greatest work he speaks with
an ironic counter-voice and deliberately opens
up a satirical perspective on the vatic [prophetic]
stance of his Romantic contemporaries.’’ In a
1954 introduction to Byron’s poetry, however,
A. S. B. Glover remarks that ‘‘When We Two
Parted’’ ‘‘had all the qualities of his best work’’ in
the lyric form. Glover also observes that the
poem ‘‘is quite simple both in thought and
expression, but beneath the quiet rhythm there
is a strong current of feeling.’’ Nevertheless,
Byron’s biographer Leslie Marchand discusses
‘‘When We Two Parted,’’ in a 1957 biography
and in a 1965 introduction to Byron’s work, but
the poem is only discussed in its relation to
Byron’s private life.
James Soderholm, in a 1994 essay inStudies
in English Literature, 1500–1900, offers an
explanationastowhyByron’slyricsingeneral
are largely ignored, arguing that Byron’s lyrics do
not fit the conventional lyric mode as established
by earlier Romantics such as Wordsworth. In
particular, Soderholm notes, the confessional
tone of Wordsworth’s lyrics is characteristically
English, while Byron’s confessional tone relies
more on the French notion of sincerity. English
sincerity is predicated only on the speaker not
being deceitful, whereas French sincerity involves
being truthful ‘‘about oneself to oneself and to
others.’’ Other critics speak more generally about
how Byron’s earlier poetry relates to his later
writing. Byron’s work is often divided into that
which he wrote before he left England in 1816,
and the poetry he wrote during his self-exile.
Because it was published during that first year
of exile, during a period of transition, ‘‘When We
Two Parted’’ is a poem as much about isolation
as the works written following Byron’s departure.
Yet, some critics reject the notion that there is a
clear difference between Byron’s earlier and
later work. Mark Phillipson, in a 2000Studies
in Romanticism essay challenges critics who
suggest that Byron’s later work repudiates the
poetry from his youth. Phillipson contends that
the themes of isolation and self-exile are
already present in Byron’s poetry before he
left England, and that this feature, as well as
other stylistic elements present in both early
and late poetry, emphasize the continuity of
Byron’s work.Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire, England, the family estate of Lord Byron(ÓIan Francis / Alamy)
When We Two Parted