Context

These are the opening lines of Byron's poem, "When We Two Parted," where we are introduced to the central conflict: the parting of the speaker from his lover.

Immediately we get a sense that the parting of the title is not going to be a happy one. Of course, this is from the guy who wrote "Darkness," so maybe we should have seen that coming.

Where you've heard it

You may not be familiar with these lines (unless you have a creepy ex who's into poetry), but if you thought you're break up was bad, just be glad you aren't our speaker.

Fun fact: there is some pretty well-founded speculation that Byron wrote this poem about his "thing" with Lady Frances. Rumor has it that Byron removed a final stanza in which Lady Frances was identified and that he even lied about the date to make it seem like the poem predated their relationship.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

It's romantic poetry after all, so the hyper-dramatic tone combined with the inverted sentences makes for some pretty lofty lines. Maybe just choose a Taylor Swift quote instead?