Thou Gloomy December by Robert Burns
In "Thou Gloomy December," the speaker greets December with sorrow because it recalls his parting from Nancy, never to meet again. He contrasts a lover's sweet, hopeful parting with the pure anguish of a final farewell, and likens his shattered hopes to winter stripping the forest bare.
By Robert Burns · First published 1797 · Genre: Lyric poetry, Elegy, Love poetry · 196 words
First lines
Ance mair I hail thee, thou gloomy December! / Ance mair I hail thee wi' sorrow and care; / Sad was the parting thou makes me remember- / Parting wi' Nancy, oh, ne'er to meet mair!
Fond lovers' parting is sweet, painful pleasure, / Hope beaming mild on the soft parting hour; / But the dire feeling, O farewell for ever! / Is anguish unmingled, and agony pure!
Wild as the winter now tearing the forest, / Till the last leaf o' the summer is flown; / Such is the tempest has shaken my bosom, / Till my last hope and last comfort is gone.
Similar titles
- Good Bye by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- His Parting From Her by John Donne
- The Farewell by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
- Westphalian Song by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
- At The Word Farewell by Thomas Hardy
Genres
- Lyric poetry — First-person emotional voice in short, song-like stanzas, with the repeated address to December and to sorrow expressing one personal feeling.
- Elegy — Mourns a lost relationship and the parting that ends it, with the finality of ne'er to meet mair framing the poem as a lament for something gone.
- Love poetry — Addressed to Nancy and centred on the pain and sweetness of lovers' parting, with the bond between the speaker and the beloved at its core.
- Sentimental poetry — Built on heightened feeling and sensibility, with sorrow, anguish and agony stated openly to draw the reader into grief.
Tags
Scottish poetry · Scots language · lyric poem · lament · December · winter · parting · farewell · lost love · separation · sorrow · grief
What this Textopian page supports
Thou Gloomy December is listed on Textopian as a poem by Robert Burns, dated 1797 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Robert Burns
- Date: 1797 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric poetry, Elegy, Love poetry, Sentimental poetry, Melancholic poetry
- Length: 196 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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