Editor's note
Ranking is generated by Storgy's classification model, which scores each poem's thematic depth on this subject relative to the rest of the corpus. The list is re-indexed weekly as new poems enter the public-domain corpus.
Best poems about — Storgy
December.
14 poems, ranked.
14 of the finest public-domain poems about december, ranked by thematic depth. Scored by Storgy's classification model against the rest of the corpus, and re-indexed weekly as new works enter the canon.
The leading three
01
December
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“December is a brief poem where the month of December comes to life, arriving last in the year on a goat, wearing a crown of holly, and holding a pine-cone staff…”
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02
Palinode--December
James Russell Lowell
“A winter poem about loss and the hope of reunion, "Palinode—December" observes a forest laid bare and an empty bird's nest, reflecting on all that slips away as…”
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03
Jest 'fore Christmas
Eugene Field
“A playful boy named Bill confesses that he spends most of the year creating joyful chaos — teasing the cat, riding on grocery carts, and avoiding castor oil — b…”
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The complete index
- 04
The Darkling Thrush
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy stands by a frost-covered gate on the final day of the nineteenth century, observing a fading landscape that seems to mirror the century's burial. Suddenly, an old, ra…
- 05
The little brook: In a letter written in December, 1848, Lowell
James Russell Lowell
This isn’t a standalone poem; it’s a prose note — an excerpt from a letter by James Russell Lowell written in December 1848. In it, he reflects on a winter walk to Watertown, Massa…
- 06
New-Year's Eve, 1850
James Russell Lowell
Written on the last night of 1850, this poem sees midnight as a turning point: the darkest moment of the century has passed, and now the world begins its journey toward light. Lowe…
- 07
A Hymn
Horace
A Roman farmer prays to Faunus, the god of the countryside, asking him to protect his fields and animals in return for gifts of wine, incense, and a young goat. When Faunus's festi…
- 08
Stanzas Written in Dejection, Near Naples
Percy Bysshe Shelley
A profoundly unhappy Shelley sits by himself on a beach near Naples on a beautiful December afternoon, observing the sun, sea, and birds around him — yet feeling entirely disconnec…
- 09
The Raven
Edgar Allan Poe
A grieving man sits alone late at night, missing his deceased love Lenore, when a mysterious Raven flies into his room and only utters one word: "Nevermore." No matter what the man…
- 10
Buena Park, Ill., December 4, 1893
Eugene Field
This letter is a touching message from the poet Eugene Field to a dear friend in the clergy who is seriously ill. Field confesses that he doesn't often pray, but when he does, it's…
- 11
Famous Blue Raincoat
Leonard Cohen
A man pens a late-night letter to the person who had an affair with his wife, addressing him with an unexpected tenderness instead of anger. The letter explores themes of loss, bet…
- 12
Letter from Boston
James Russell Lowell
Written in December 1846, this poem is a friendly verse letter from James Russell Lowell to a friend, capturing the people he observes at an anti-slavery bazaar at Boston's Faneuil…
- 13
Ode to Heaven
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Three spirit voices take turns describing what Heaven is really like, and each one undermines the previous description. The first spirit praises Heaven as a grand, eternal palace;…
- 14
Preliminary Note
James Russell Lowell
This "Preliminary Note" is a playful mock obituary for the fictional Reverend Homer Wilbur, a made-up clergyman from New England known for editing Lowell's satirical *Biglow Papers…
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