In this playful myth, Winter grumbles to Jove about his dreary months—cheerless suns, slow nights, and “spleeny English” gloom. To counterbalance all this misery, he begs for one brilliant gift: Maria’s birthday. Jove agrees, and suddenly Winter has a day so joyous that spring, summer, and autumn pale in comparison. The whole thing is a lighthearted compliment to Mrs. Riddell, imagining her birthday as a moment of such radiance that even the grimmest season can’t help but celebrate. The poem moves quickly, like a joke shared among friends, and its charm lies in the contrast between Winter’s initial complaints and his sudden delight. The mood is witty and warm—Burns turns a birthday greeting into a divine favor, with Winter playing the grumpy petitioner who ends up “rejoiced in glory.”
438. Impromptu on Mrs. Riddell’s Birthday — Summary
OLD Winter, with his frosty beard, Thus once to Jove his prayer preferred: “What have I done of all the year, To bear this hated doom severe? My cheerless suns no pleasure know; Night’s horrid car drags, dreary slow; My dismal months no joys are crowning, But spleeny English hanging, drowning.
“Now Jove, for once be mighty civil. To counterbalance all this evil; Give me, and I’ve no more to say, Give me Maria’s natal day! That brilliant gift shall so enrich me, Spring, Summer, Autumn, cannot match me.” “’Tis done!” says Jove; so ends my story, And Winter once rejoiced in glory.