Robert Burns: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Gloomy December

Robert Burns

“Gloomy December” as printed in The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887).

Robert Burns: Collected Lyrics Text 176 1887 · historical text
Public domainScottish songSong lyrics
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Poetical Works of Robert Burns, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

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 unmingl'd and agony pure.

Verse 2

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,

Since my last hope and last comfort is gone;

Still as I hail thee, thou gloomy December,

Still shall I hail thee wi' sorrow and care;

For sad was the parting thou makes me remember,

Parting wi' Nancy, oh! ne'er to meet mair.

Credits

Written by Robert Burns

Words by Robert Burns. Historical text published in The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Poetical Works of Robert Burns (1887), “Gloomy December”

Every text in this 1887 collected edition is by Robert Burns (1759-1796), who died more than 230 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide; the edition carries a Wikisource PD-old determination and a pre-1931 United States publication.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-25. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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