Fare
Thee Well
By
Lord
Byron
Lord Byron married Annabella Milbanke, on January 2, 1815. One year later, and after having a child on December 15, 1815, they were separated. In March of 1816, Byron composed the poem " Fare Thee Well " and in an enclosed note, he wrote . . .
" Dearest Bell --- I send you the first verses that ever I attempted to write upon you, and perhaps the last that I may ever write at all. "Then in April, two days before leaving England for the last time, he signed the Deed of Separation and added the following notation . . .
A year ago, you swore, fond she !
" To love, to honour, " and so forth:
Such was the vow you pledged to me,
And here's exactly what 'tis worth.
Byron never saw his wife or daughter again. He died 8 years later in April, 1824.
NOTE: Fare Thee Well has also been published in sheet music form.