On the rough deep. But this last blow–" and here
He stopp'd again, and turn'd away his face.
"Ay," quoth his friend, "I thought it would appear
That there had been a lady in the case;
And these are things which ask a tender tear,
Such as I, too, would shed if in your place;
I cried upon my first wife's dying day,
And also when my second ran away."

In this passage from "Don Juan," Byron showcases his talent for blending humor with pathos. Juan, recently sold into slavery, is heartened by his companion's empathy as they discuss the heartache that often accompanies love. The friend's casual acknowledgment of his own turbulent romantic history—shedding tears at his first wife's death and his second wife's desertion—adds a touch of levity to the somber reflection on lost love and missed connections. This blend of the tragic with the comedic is a hallmark of Byron's style, serving to humanize his characters and making their experiences relatable despite the dramatic circumstances. The phrase "there had been a lady in the case" suggests that love and its attendant sorrows are universal, crossing boundaries of time and situation.