Farewell! if Ever Fondest Prayer
The poem explores the speaker's longing for a lost love and their desire to be reunited with them in death. The speaker expresses their devotion and passion, but also acknowledges the impossibility of being together again. The poem is a meditation on mortality, loss, and the enduring power of love.
By Lord Byron · First published 1816 · Genre: Poetry, Romantic, Elegy · 176 words
First lines
Farewell! if ever fondest prayer For other's weal avail'd on high, Mine will not all be lost in air, But waft thy name beyond the sky.
Twere vain to speak, to weep, to sigh: Oh! more than tears of blood can tell, When wrung from guilt's expiring eye, Are in that word - Farewell! - Farewell!
These lips are mute, these eyes are dry; But in my breast and in my brain, Awake the pangs that pass not by, The thought that ne'er shall sleep again.
My soul nor deigns nor dares complain Though grief and passion there rebel; I only know we loved in vain - I only feel - Farewell! - Farewell!
What this Textopian page supports
Farewell! if Ever Fondest Prayer is listed on Textopian as a poem by Lord Byron, dated 1816 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Lord Byron
- Date: 1816 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Romantic, Elegy, Lyric
- Length: 176 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Farewell! if Ever Fondest Prayer by Lord Byron
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Farewell! if Ever Fondest Prayer?
- How does this poem by Lord Byron fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Poetry first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- To Frances S Osgood by Edgar Allan Poe
- When We Two Parted by Lord Byron
- I Speak Not I Trace Not I Breathe Not Thy Name by Lord Byron
- To M by Lord Byron
- Come Home by Edna St Vincent Millay
- The Sorrow Of Love by W. B. Yeats
Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse form with a focus on rhythm and meter, characteristic of poetry.
- Romantic — The themes of intense emotion, personal reflection, and the focus on individual experience align with Romantic literature.
- Elegy — The poem expresses lamentation and mourning over a lost love, fitting the elegiac tradition.
- Lyric — The personal and emotional expression of the speaker's feelings is typical of lyric poetry.
Tags
Poem · Sonnet · Romanticism · Love · Loss · Longing · Separation · Farewell · Elegy · Grief · Pain · Heartbreak