From A New-Years Eve by Bernard Barton

A New-Years Eve by Bernard Barton - taken from  A New Years Eve and Other Poems. New Years Eve - is a 29 stanza poem. Here is the first verse,

"A New Years Eve ! Methinks 'tis good to sit
At such an hour alone,
Tracing that record, by pen unwrit,
Which every human heart has of its own,
Of joys and griefs, of hopes and fears unknown
To all beside; to let the spirit feel,
In all its force, the deep and solemn tone
Of Time's unflattering, eloquent appeal,
Which Truth to every breast would inwardly reveal"

Obtained via Google books.

Bernard Barton was born 31/01/1784 and died 19/02/1849. His parents were Quakers and he worked as a bank clerk. A gentle and likable man he was involved in the protests against the severe penal code of nineteenth century Britain.