Remind Me Not, Remind Me Not

Portrait of Lord Byron
Lord Byron 1788–1824

Remind me not, remind me not, Of those beloved, those vanish'd hours, When all my soul was given to thee; Hours that may never be forgot, Till Time unnerves our vital powers, And thou and I shall cease to be.

Can I forget---canst thou forget, When playing with thy golden hair, How quick thy fluttering heart did move? Oh! by my soul, I see thee yet, With eyes so languid, breast so fair, And lips, though silent, breathing love.

When thus reclining on my breast, Those eyes threw back a glance so sweet, As half reproach'd yet rais'd desire, And still we near and nearer prest, And still our glowing lips would meet, As if in kisses to expire.

And then those pensive eyes would close, And bid their lids each other seek, Veiling the azure orbs below; While their long lashes' darken'd gloss Seem'd stealing o'er thy brilliant cheek, Like raven's plumage smooth'd on snow.

I dreamt last night our love return'd, And, sooth to say, that very dream Was sweeter in its phantasy, Than if for other hearts I burn'd, For eyes that ne'er like thine could beam In Rapture's wild reality.

Then tell me not, remind me not, Of hours which, though for ever gone, Can still a pleasing dream restore, Till Thou and I shall be forgot, And senseless, as the mouldering stone Which tells that we shall be no more.

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  1. Vivett United States

    I hope my lost love reads this poem and remembers me an the hours we shared loving eachother from afar. I realize we all have realities and fate that may not concede but love transcends everything. Lord Byron describes our love so perfectly yet captures the point of moving on while cherishing the times you've had together. love forgiving and kind that is the best kind!

  2. sheri Australia

    i believe the poem is about her dying... this may be off the mark totally but interpretation is everything. if you read through their are lines continually about death and not really any real conclusion about why they broke up. particularly lines like "forever gone" and "as senseless as the mouldering stone that tells us we shall be no more" could be refering to her grave tells me we are no more. also she is…

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    i believe the poem is about her dying...
    this may be off the mark totally but interpretation is everything. if you read through their are lines continually about death and not really any real conclusion about why they broke up. particularly lines like "forever gone" and "as senseless as the mouldering stone that tells us we shall be no more" could be refering to her grave tells me we are no more. also she is "breathing love" symbolic of her being alive... i do hope some one pines over me like this when i die!!!
    btw their is evidence to suggest that she was already dying as they reproch'd the love ( but maybe just because it is forbidden) and as if in kisses to expire like he knows she is going to die!!!
    xox

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