Time, you thief! who love to get
Sweets into your list, put that in.
Say I'm weary, say I'm sad;
Say that health and wealth have missed me;
Say I'm growing old, but add-
Jenny kissed me!"
-- Jenny Kissed Me, Leigh Hunt
There's a fun story -- actually there are two -- behind this cute poem. Hunt was a neighbor of poet and author, Thomas Carlyle and his wife Jane, aka Jenny. One story says that when Hunt visited to tell them he would publish one of Thomas Carlyle's poems, Carlyle's wife, in a very uncharacteristic move, jumped up and kissed him.
The other story is that one winter Hunt was ill for so long that when he finally recovered and went to visit, Jane jumped up and kissed him as soon as he appeared. A few days later one of the Hunt servants delivered a note, "From Mr. Hunt to Mrs. Carlyle." It contained the poem, "Jenny Kissed Me."
Oddly enough, someone wrote a song based on this poem, which seems to have been recorded by several crooners in the 1050's. You can see Eddie Albert sing it, and hear him recite the poem itself, here. There's a different version by a High School ensemble here. Finally, watch this recitation of the poem only here. As interesting as these versions are, I think I prefer just reading it myself. How about you?
Read Well, Friend
There are also numerous written parodies available on the web. Clearly this poem strikes a favorable chord with many.
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