A LIFE VERSUS LEGACY

I tend to find a lot of truth in the hypothesis that Byron's life eclipsed his poetry. It is important to remember that, in many ways, Byron was a rebel against English society of that time. He scorned hypocritical convention and his love affairs, both heterosexual and homosexual, were known all over England and elsewhere. Yet Byron's adaptation of Don Juan, Childe Harold and Manfred are literary classics. My personal opinion is that Byron's success with these works is due to the fact that he wrote them in a way that any reader, regardless of status or class, could understand and relate to. His writing style is certainly very different from those of his contemporaries, Keats and Wordsworth (and who he hated).
For example, Keats's ballad 'La Belle Dame Sans Merci' is VERY difficult to understand. There are so many hidden meanings and symbols that are not easy to detect. However, Byron's works are not like that. Byron writes in a straightforward, often cynically humoristic tone. The vast majority of readers can surely relate to that. Byron succeeded in changing the way readers perceive the legendary figure of Don Juan. In Byron's epic, Don Juan was no longer the dazzling figure of legend but a simple young man who came down to the level of the readers. I think this is part of Byron's great success.
One can see Byron's lifestyle in his poetry. That he chose to write about Don Juan, one of the greatest seducers of all time, instead of the Greek and Roman heroes, reveals something integral about Lord Byron. Byron obviously identified with Don Juan up to a point. His own escapades with women reveal that he was, in a way, his own Don Juan. He even saw fit to court his own half-sister, Augusta Leigh. This is proof that Byron was far ahead of his time and society. His "freedom" in this respect is undoubtedly part of what made him so famous.
This is why I would tend to agree that Byron's lifestyle never came second to his poetry.

THE COMPLEXITY OF THE FUTURE

I often think times gone by
When people were able to bear their lot
I want to say that it is still the same but I cannot lie,
Yet life has placed my surroundings in a bad spot.
Fate seems frightening and cold,
The future coming closer and nearer
This I wish I never had to be told,
The past begins to seem more precious and dearer.
I know that hope is not enough,
To propel me into into life
I keep thinking that the journey must be rough
And troubles will be rife.

THE COMPLEXITY OF THE FUTURE

I often think times gone by
When people were able to bear their lot
I want to say that it is still the same but I cannot lie,
Yet life has placed my surroundings in a bad spot.
Fate seems frightening and cold,
The future coming closer and nearer
This I wish I never had to be told,
The past begins to seem more precious and dearer.
I know that hope is not enough,
To propel me into into life
I keep thinking that the journey must be rough
And troubles will be rife.