51 New Year Poems
Celebrate new beginnings with short, inspiring poems for the New Year.
Updated December 5, 2025, by Catherine Pulsifer
Start the New Year with a fresh perspective! Explore our collection of poems to inspire reflection, hope, and joy as you embrace the opportunities of a brand-new year.
Short New Year Poems
These poems capture the essence of New Year's in brief, impactful verses, perfect for sharing or reading in moments of celebration. Their concise lines reflect on hope, joy, and fresh beginnings.
The Years
Poet: C. F. Bates
The years have linings just as goblets do:
The old year is the lining of the new;
Filled with the wine of precious memories.
The golden was doth line the silver is.
A New Year Greeting
Poet: J. S. Ogilvie
On this New Year's morning
My wishes take their flight.
And wing to thee a greeting
That would make all things bright.
A Bright New Year
Poet: Unknown
For friends we strive to pierce
The future, dense and dark,
But not a ray of light
We see, nor faintest spark;
But yet while we have faith to cheer,
We trusting wish "A bright New Year."
New Year Toasts
We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas
and
a prosperous and happy New Year.
We wish you many blessings to all.
Here's to the year that has gone
With its share of joy and sadness
And here's to the year to come
May it have a full measure of gladness
With its share of joy and sadness
And here's to the year to come
May it have a full measure of gladness
New Year Toast
More poems to start your year:
A happy New Year! grant that I,
May bring no tear to any eye.
When this New Year in time shall end,
Let it be said I’ve played the friend,
Have lived and loved and laboured here,
And made of it a happy year.
May bring no tear to any eye.
When this New Year in time shall end,
Let it be said I’ve played the friend,
Have lived and loved and laboured here,
And made of it a happy year.
Edgar Guest
God Bless You
Catherine Pulsifer
God keep and bless you on this special day
God watch over you this I always pray
God give you faith to see your dreams come true
And on this New Year may God bless you.
The Year
Poet: Ella Wheeler Wilcox
What can be said in New Year rhymes,
That’s not been said a thousand times?
The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.
We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.
We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.
We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our brides, we sheet our dead.
We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that’s the burden of the year.
Enter The New Year
by George L. Perin
God of the years, our Heavenly Father,
whatever the message of the old year may have been,
whether of darkness or light, joy or sorrow,
we stand this morning waiting expectantly
and confidently for some message with glad tidings.
New Years Wish
A Bright New Year
Poet: Unknown
Health and prosperity
Your life to cheer,
With every blessing
For the bright New Year.
New Year Greeting
Poet: J. S. Ogilvie
Take, my friend, this heartfelt greeting,
Happy be thy Christmas day.
Faith, and hope, and love here meeting.
Speed thee on thy New Year's way!
Poems that Reflect the Past Year
These reflective poems look back on the experiences, challenges, and memories of the past year. They celebrate growth, lessons learned, and the bittersweet nature of time passing.
Good-bye, Old Year
Poet: Lila R. Munro Tainter
Good-bye, Old Year, the hours are swiftly flying;
The night has come at last and thou art dying.
Doth no repentance, no remorse assail thee,
As far and wide the wintry winds bewail thee?
Good-bye, good-bye. . .
Read the complete poem, Goodbye to The Old Year Poem
Closing Of The Year
Poet Unknown
And now at the closing, I want to remind you,
Of the many good times you have left far behind you.
How the thoughts will come up as we meet here each year,
Of the many dear friends who no longer are here;
Not the good times alone this occasion endears.
But as we look back down the vista of years,
Loved faces we see through the mellowing haze
Of sweet retrospect, going back to the days
That friendship has hallowed, whose memory still
We cling to and cherish; the bright thoughts that thrill
Our hearts with a rapture we would not forego
For all that the future may hold: and we know
'Tis joy of past pleasures and friendships which gives
The charm that shall linger while memory lives.
New Year New Beginnings Poems
The Old Year Now Away
Poet: Unknown
The old year now away is fled,
The new year it is entered,
Then let us now our sins down-tread
And joyfully all appear.
Let's merry be this holiday,
And let us now both sport and play,
Hang sorrow, let's cast care away:
God send you a happy New Year. . .
Read the complete poem, The Old Year Now Away
Our Old Acquaintance
Poet: Grinnell Willis
Our old acquaintance, thine and mine,
Can never fade or cease to be.
And all our days of "Auld Lang Syne"
Are precious still to thee and me.
I love to call them all to mind,
Those years of long ago;
Each one has round my heart entwined
A tie that no one else can know.
Oh! may the coming New Year send
The best of all that's good and sweet,
And love and happiness, dear friend,
Unite to make thy life complete.
Blessings and toasts for the new year:
Terraces
by Ruby Dell Baughter
I climb unconscious that I'm rising,
Until I reach the top,
And, as of yore, I then do see
The Old Year curtain drop.
I looked ahead, dipped, curved, uncertain-
This journey in its prime,
But soon I find the New Year road
Another slope to climb.
Each terrace gained, the curtain drops
To hide the tedious miles I've trod ;
The years are only terraces -
Each one a little nearer God.
The Closing Year
Poet: Unknown
How soon the year has passed away!
How soon its race was run!
And of the work I planned to do,
How little has been done!
I vowed to more of kindness show
To those who were in need;
To help the fallen, save the lost,
And sow the precious seed. . .
Read the complete poem, The Closing Year, A Christ-Centered Poem of Reflection
The Old Year's Book
Poet: Unknown
Now close the book and lay it away -
The Old Year's Book; we have read it through;
Leaf after leaf, and day after day.
We have turned the pages, both I and you. . .
Read the complete poem,
The Old Year's Book Poem
Farewell To The Old Year
Poet: Bryant
Stay yet, my friends, a moment stay,
Stay, for the good old year,
So long companion of our way,
Shakes hands, and leaves us here.
Even while we sing he smiles his last.
And leaves our sphere behind.
The good old year is with the past:
Oh, be the new as kind!
Of All The Gifts....
Poet: Bertha E. Jaques
Of all the gifts that come to cheer,
The best one is a brand New Year.
Snow-wrapped and holly-decked it comes
To richest and to poorest homes.
Twelve jeweled Months all set with Days
Of priceless Opportunities.
A silver Moon and a golden Sun,
With diamond Stars when the day is done;
And over all a sapphire sky,
Where pearly clouds go floating by.
Joy to You for the Year that brings
So many and such precious Things.
Ring Out The Old, Ring In The New
Poet: Tennyson
Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light;
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow,
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true. . . .
Read the complete poem,
Ring Out The Old, Ring In The New
Let Bygones be Bygones
Poet: Finley Johnson
Forget! for why remember
The wrongs of yesterday?
Perchance kind words were spoken
To heal the breach today;
Then let the past forever be
A blank leaf in thy memory. . . .
Read the complete poem,
Let Bygones Be Bygones Poem
Welcoming the New Year Poems
Welcoming the New Year poems focus on the excitement and joy of a fresh start. They embrace possibilities, encourage optimism, and welcome the unknown with open arms.
The New Year
Poet: C. E. Lund
Outmarching time, with rapid stride,
Like onward flow of ebbing tide,
Has carried forth the closing year,
And hailed the new one to appear. . . .
Read the complete poem,
Poem of Hope and Reflection for the New Year
More thoughts on the New Year
A New Year's Rainbow
Poet: James Stanley Gilbert
It rose this morning out of the sea.
Just as the sun was peeping.
With glances bright at the distant night
That still in the West was sleeping.
The rain that in the sombre dawn
Like tears from the clouds was falling
Had passed away while the god of day
The darkness was enthralling.
And it said, "Faint heart, take cheer! Take cheer,
And behold the sign and token
I bring to thee from over the sea.
Of the promise never broken!
The grief I follow shall ne'er return:
Oh, list to my joyous message!
Dost thou not know that my gleaming bow
Of a glad New Year is presage?"
The New Year
Poet: Unknown
Snow-wrapped and holly-decked it comes,
To richest and to poorest homes.
Twelve jeweled months all set with days
Of priceless opportunities.
A silver moon, a golden sun,
With diamond stars when day is done;
Over all a sapphire sky
Where pearly clouds go floating by.
On To A New Year
Julie Hebert, © 2011
This is the year that things will change,
And last year will be just that.
We have learned from our mistakes and now look forward,
It's our year to be up to bat.
Money won’t be an issue as we will make more,
And all of our bills will get paid.
We will reframe from overspending and get a vacation,
And last year will start to fade.
Although those memories will start to fade,
We will never truly forget that year.
It was one of the hardest years we’ve had,
But this year will bring us great cheer.
So to the year that will bring us cheer,
We welcome this wonderful change.
And we hope and we pray for a year full of fun,
It will be up to us to arrange.
A Happy New-Year Party
Poet: Mary Helm
I awoke this morning
When the sun was shining bright
And looked out of my window
On a world all dressed white.
Every hill was frosted
Like a "happy birthday" cake,
The icing growing thicker
With each fluffy sifted flake.
The fence posts stood like candles
In each swirly, frosted holder;
A birthday party, I exclaimed,
The world is one year older.
I dressed myself and hurried
To the whitest, softest drift,
And made a jolly snowman
For the New Year's birthday gift!
The New Year
Poet: R. H. Stoddard
New Year, if you were bringing Youth,
As you are bringing Age,
I would not have it back, in sooth;
I have no strength to wage
Lost battles over. Let them be,
Bury your dead, O Memory!
Good-by, since you are gone. Old Year,
And my past life, good-by!
I shed no tear upon your bier.
For it is well to die.
New Year, your worst will be my best-
What can an old man want but rest?
New Year Together
Poet: Rembrandt Peale
"O don't be sorrowful, darling!
Now don't be sorrowful, pray;
For taking the year together, my dear,
There isn't more night than day.
It's rainy weather, my loved one;
Time's wheels they heavily run;
But taking the year together, my dear,
There isn't more cloud than sun."
The New Year
Poet: Lucy Larcom
Behold, the New Year 'beckons, like a flower
Hid in its roots among the untrodden hills:
God show thee how its sweetness every hour
Grows only as His breath thy spirit fills!
Behold, the New Year beckons, like a star,
A splendid mystery of the unfathomed skies:
God guide thee through His mystic spaces far,
Till all His stars as suns within thee rise!
The New Year beckons. He too, beckoning, nears;
Forget not thou that all its gifts are His!
Take from His hand all blessings of the years,
And of the blossoming, starred eternities!
Another Year
Poet: Frances Ridley Havergal
Another year is dawning!
Dear Master, let it be,
In working or in waiting,
Another year with thee;
Another year of leaning
Upon thy loving breast,
Of ever-deepening trustfulness,
Of quiet, happy rest. . .
Read the complete poem,
Another Year Poem
New Year Wishes and Resolutions Poems
These poems blend New Year wishes with hopeful resolutions, inspiring readers to set goals and pursue their dreams. They offer encouragement and motivation for the year ahead.
A New Year’s Start
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
A New Year’s Start
The clock strikes twelve, the year is new,
A chance to dream, a goal to pursue.
Let courage guide each step you take,
For every effort, a future you make.
Set your sights on what can be,
A life of purpose, a path set free.
Though challenges rise, don't lose your way,
Keep moving forward, day by day.
With faith and hope, the journey unfolds,
Embrace each moment, cherish your goals.
The New Year shines, your dreams in view,
The best is waiting - go make it true!
Make It A New Year
Poet: Frances M. Morton
Make it a new year, Lord!
Blot out the sins of the old -
Make of its errors and sorrows and pain
The breath of a tale that is told!
Make it a new year, Lord!
Send a new light on its days,
Lift up the hearts of the sorrowing ones
And lead us along in new ways!
Make it a new year, Lord!
Give us new visions of life;
Wipe out the causes of conflicts and wars
And make thou an end of all strife!
Make it a new year, Lord!
Set a new star in our sky;
Lead us a long with a purpose that's strong,
External, exalted, and high!
A New Year Wish
Poet: Frances M. Morton
This New Year brings a chance so bright,
To turn your dreams into goals in sight.
Resolutions made with heart and care,
Can lead to success beyond compare.
May focus guide you every day,
As step by step, you find your way.
Turn wishes into plans that grow,
With effort and faith, results will show.
So here’s to you, with hope sincere,
For a joyful, purposeful, prosperous year.
May each resolution light your way,
To brighter tomorrows with each new day.
Turning Over The New Leaf
Poet: Unknown
The year begins. I turn the leaf,
All over writ with good resolves;
Each to fulfill will be in chief
My aim while earth its round revolves.
How many a leaf I've turned before,
And tried to make the record true;
Each year a wreck on Time's dull shore
Proved much I dared, but little knew. . . .
Read the complete poem,
Turning Over The New Leaf
Poems to consider as one year ends and another begins:
An Awesome Year
Poet Catherine Pulsifer, © 2020
A new year, is it the end
Or is it a new beginning
Does our life just blend
Or is it winning?
As the new year starts
A time of reflection is good
Are we living with heart
Are we doing what we should?
So as the year begins
We should set our goals
And take action to win
Don't be stopped by the potholes.
Be determined to have a good year
You will face challenges but you can overcome
If your attitude is positive and of good cheer
The year can be one that is awesome!
New Year Quotes
I Pack My Trunk
Poet: Amos R. Wells
What shall I pack up to carry
From the old year to the new?
I'll leave out the frets that harry,
Thoughts unjust and doubts untrue.
Angry words--ah, how I rue them!
Selfish deeds and choices blind;
Any one is welcome to them!
I shall leave them all behind. . .
Read the complete poem,
A Poem About Carrying Positivity Into the New Year
My Mottoes
by E. A. R. Shepherd
A little girl of eight years once asked me what a motto was.
I told her it was a few helpful words, or a quotation from some
great writer or poet, that we should renew every year, and
when we are in sorrow or trouble, go to our motto, read it
over, and we will be surprised at the help we receive from it.
I have a motto for the new year. I have it printed in large
letters and have hung it on the wall. It is this:
"True greatness consists of being great in little things. . .
Read the complete poem,
My Mottoes
How To Be Happy This New Year
Poet: Unknown
To leave the old with a burst of song
To recall the rights and forgive the wrong;
To forgive the thing that binds you fast
To the vain regrets of the year that’s past;
To have the strength to let go your hold
Of the non-worthwhile of the days grown old;
To dare to go forth with a purpose true;
To the unknown task of the year that’s new
To help your brother along the road
To do his work and lift his load;
To add your gift to the world’s good cheer,
Is to have and to give a Happy New Year.
A Year Untried
Poet: E. M. Offord
A year untried before me lies;
What shall it bring of strange surprise?
Or joy, or grief, I can not tell;
But God, my Father, knoweth well.
I make it no concern of mine,
But leave it all with Love Divine.
Read the complete poem,
A Year Untried Poem
New Time
Poet: William Olney
Time is a treasure;
How shall we use it?
We can make useful,
Or can abuse it!
Only the Giver
Can make our hearts wise,
Teaching us daily
The New Time to prize.
Time is a treasure,
So view it, my soul!
Keep all its spending
'Neath watchful control;
Employ each moment
In God's holy fear,
And He will ensure thee
A Happy New Year.
The Book Of The New Year
Poet: Emily Bugbee Johnson
The book of the new year is opened;
Its pages are spotless and new;
And so, as each leaflet is turning,
Dear children, beware what you do. . . .
Read the complete poem,
The Book Of The New Year
Faith and Hope for the Future Poems
Poems in this section provide messages of faith and optimism, looking forward with a sense of hope and trust. They inspire confidence in a positive future guided by faith.
Peace Be Around
Poet: Thomas Moore
Peace be around thee, wherever thou rovest;
May life be for thee one summer’s day;
And all that thou wish, and all that thou lovest,
Come smiling around thy summer way.
If sorrow e’er this calm should break.
May even thy tears pass off so lightly,
Like spring showers, they will only make
The smiles that follow shine more brightly.
A New Year’s Faithful Hope
Poet: Catherine Pulsifer
The clock strikes twelve, the old year fades,
A path unknown, yet brightly paved.
With faith as guide, we face the way,
Trusting God’s light in each new day.
Through trials past, we’ve come to see,
His strength sustains, sets captives free. . . .
Read the complete poem at: A Faith-Filled New Year Poem
Same Old Love
Poet Unknown
Only the same old love, you know,
I sent it to you long ago.
Only the memories of old
That never have grown changed or cold.
No, I have nothing new: and yet
I scarcely think I need regret
That it is so, for you and I
Have precious things from days gone by.
And if good wishes, good can bring,
Mine are with you in everything:
So take the old love tried and true
On from the old year to the new.
New Year Love Poems
Teach Us
Poet: Mrs, Craik
O New- Year, teach us faith!
The road of life is hard:
When our feet bleed, and scourging winds us scath.
Point thou to Him whose visage was more marred
Than any man's, who saith,
"Make straight paths for your feet," and, to the opprest,
"Come to me, and I will give you rest."
Yet hang some lamp-like hope
Above this unknown way.
Kind year, to give our spirits freer scope,
And our hands strength to work while it is day.
But if that way must slope
Tombward, oh bring before our fading eyes
The lamp of life, the hope that never dies!
The New Year
Poet: R. H. Stoddard
New Year, if you were bringing Youth,
As you are bringing Age,
I would not have it back, in sooth;
I have no strength to wage
Lost battles over. Let them be,
Bury your dead, O Memory!
Good-by, since you are gone. Old Year,
And my past life, good-by!
I shed no tear upon your bier.
For it is well to die.
New Year, your worst will be my best —
What can an old man want but rest?
More New Year poems:
Faith, Hope and Love
Poet: Unknown
Out of the silent places
The young year comes to light,
Bringing new pain, new sadness.
New care and new delight.
Go forth to meet him bravely,
The New Year all untried,
The things the Old Year left with us -
Faith, Hope, and Love - abide.
I Cannot Tell
Poet: J. S. Ogilvie
I cannot tell what thou wilt bring to me,
O strange New Year,
But tho' thick darkness shrouds thy days and monthly
I will not fear.
Why should I fret my heart to know before
What may befall?
With this one thought content - I ask no more-
God knows it all.
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Conclusion
We hope these new year's poems encourage you to look forward to the upcoming year. Some people hate to see a year end while others can't wait until it is over. With each coming new year, it is always a good idea to reflect on our attitudes and our goals. Are we projecting a positive attitude and do our actions translate into achieving our goals. Each year is a time for a fresh start, for a new beginning, we hope yours is a positive one!
More Special Occasion Poems & Quotes