Lyric Poem · Love

Farewell thou stream that winding flows

by Robert Burns

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1FAREWELL, thou stream that winding flows

2 Around Eliza’s dwelling;

3O mem’ry! spare the cruel thoes

4 Within my bosom swelling.

5Condemn’d to drag a hopeless chain

6 And yet in secret languish;

7To feel a fire in every vein,

8 Nor dare disclose my anguish.

9Love’s veriest wretch, unseen, unknown,

10 I fain my griefs would cover;

11The bursting sigh, th’ unweeting groan,

12 Betray the hapless lover.

13I know thou doom’st me to despair,

14 Nor wilt, nor canst relieve me;

15But, O Eliza, hear one prayer—

16 For pity’s sake forgive me!

17The music of thy voice I heard,

18 Nor wist while it enslav’d me;

19I saw thine eyes, yet nothing fear’d,

20 Till fears no more had sav’d me:

21Th’ unwary sailor thus, aghast

22 The wheeling torrent viewing,

23’Mid circling horrors sinks at last,

24 In overwhelming ruin.

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“Farewell thou stream that winding flows” by Robert Burns — quilloak.com/poems/farewell-thou-stream-that-winding-flows

Quick facts

Poem: Farewell thou stream that winding flows
Poet: Robert Burns
Length: 24 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Love, Sad, Peace

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Measured from the text on this page, not copied from a summary. Counts are approximate: syllables and rhymes come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, which models General American English, so dialect, older pronunciation, and performance can all change what you hear.

Shape: 24 lines · 3 octaves
Line length: Lines run 7-10 syllables (median 8), consistent with tetrameter. No single length dominates, which is normal once elision and contraction are in play.

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Author record: Robert Burns1759–1796
Source record: PoetryDBFarewell thou stream that winding flows by robert-burns, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 0499d1a085a0a26c…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Love Sad Peace

Farewell thou stream that winding flows

Quick facts

How this poem works

A traceable edition

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