FarmersBride- Charlottle Mew + As we two parted-Lord Byron

Context: The Farmer’s Bride – Charlotte Mew

• Written in early 20th century (1912), Victorian/Edwardian crossover.

• Charlotte Mew lived during a time when women had few rights; marriage was often a duty rather than a choice.

• Mew chose never to marry, possibly homosexual; several family members suffered from mental illness.

• The poem reflects Victorian anxieties around sexuality, madness, and gender roles.

What are the major themes in The Farmer’s Bride?

• Unrequited Love – the farmer loves his wife, but she fears intimacy.

• Isolation – both emotional and physical isolation of the bride.

• Desire and Frustration – the farmer’s sexual and emotional frustration.

• Power and Control – gender roles, lack of female agency.

“I chose a maid, / Too young maybe”

• Suggests patriarchal control — he chose her.

• Emphasizes youth and innocence, potentially naive or unwilling.

• Imbalance in power from the start of the relationship.

“Like the shut of a winter’s day / Her smile went out”

• Simile suggests sudden emotional withdrawal.

• "Winter" connotes coldness and death, reflecting her emotional state.

• Implies trauma or fear.

“The soft young down of her, the brown, / The brown of her – her eyes, her hair, her hair!”

• Erotic tone, focus on her physicality.

• Repetition and enjambment reflect obsessive desire.

• Frustration and longing are unresolved; she’s objectified.

Context: When We Two Parted – Lord Byron

• Written around 1816, published 1817.

• Byron was notorious for scandalous love affairs; the poem likely refers to an affair with Lady Frances Webster.

• Romantic poet but also deeply cynical about love due to personal betrayals.

• Public and private life often blurred—personal pain was public spectacle.

What are the major themes in When We Two Parted?

• Love and Loss – past love still haunts the speaker.

• Betrayal – the beloved was unfaithful or dishonest.

• Secrecy and Shame – forbidden relationship, hidden emotions.

• Memory and Regret – enduring pain from a past relationship.

“Half broken-hearted / To sever for years”

• Irony – “half” suggests one-sided emotion.

• Reflects the speaker’s lingering pain and the unequal end of the relationship.

“Thy vows are all broken”

• Accusation of betrayal.

• Suggests religious or sacred tone, highlighting the seriousness of the betrayal.

• Trust and commitment have been shattered.

“In silence and tears” (repeats at beginning and end)

• Circular structure mirrors how he’s trapped in grief.

• Emphasizes repression – he can’t express his sorrow openly.

• Quiet suffering and unresolved emotion.