James Henry Leigh Hunt by Benjamin Robert Haydon

"Jenny kiss'd Me" (original title: ''Rondeau'') is a poem by the English essayist

Leigh Hunt James Henry Leigh Hunt (19 October 178428 August 1859), best known as Leigh Hunt, was an English critic, essayist and poet. Hunt co-founded '' The Examiner'', a leading intellectual journal expounding radical principles. He was the centr ...

. It was first published in November 1838 by the ''Monthly Chronicle''. The poem — per its original title, a rondeau — was inspired by

Jane Welsh Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

, the wife of

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, Dum ...

. According to anthologist

Martin Gardner Martin Gardner (October 21, 1914May 22, 2010) was an American popular mathematics and popular science writer with interests also encompassing scientific skepticism, micromagic, philosophy, religion, and literatureespecially the writings of Lewis ...

, "Jenny kiss'd Me" was written during a flu epidemic, and refers to an unexpected visit by the recovered Hunt to the Carlyle household and being greeted by Jenny. __TOC__

Poem

The complete poem is: The poem was deemed worthy of inclusion in ''The Oxford Book of English Verse'',

Hazel Felleman Hazel Felleman (1884 - April 29, 1975 ) was an American editor. She was the editor of ''New York Times Book Review'' Notes and Queries for 15 years, until 1955. She edited ''The Best Loved Poems of the American People'' (1936) and '' Poems That ...

's ''Best-Loved Poems of the American People'', and

's ''Best Remembered Poems.''Gardner, Martin (1992), Best Remembered Poems, Dover Publications, , pp. 63-64 Gardner adds that

Paul Dehn Paul Edward Dehn (pronounced "Dain"; 5 November 1912 – 30 September 1976) was a British screenwriter, best known for '' Goldfinger'', '' The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'', ''Planet of the Apes'' sequels and ''Murder on the Orient Express''. ...

parodied the poem by changing its last two lines to "Say I've had a filthy cold/Since Jenny kiss'd me."

Cultural references

Jennifer Worth Jennifer Louise Worth RN RM (; 25 September 1935 – 31 May 2011) was a British memoirist. She wrote a best-selling trilogy about her work as a nurse and midwife practising in the poverty-stricken East End of London in the 1950s: ''Call the M ...

's book, ''Shadows of the Workhouse'', an edited version of the poem is included at the beginning of a chapter. Sister Monica Joan recites the poem to midwife Jenny Lee in season 3 of ''

Call the Midwife ''Call the Midwife'' is a BBC period drama series about a group of nurse midwives working in the East End of London in the late 1950s and 1960s. The principal cast of the show has included Jessica Raine, Miranda Hart, Helen George, Bryony Hanna ...

''. The poem is featured in the 1982 Serbian film '' A Tight Spot'' during an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

class and was also quoted in the elevator in the 2015 film ''

The Age of Adaline ''The Age of Adaline'' is a 2015 American romantic fantasy film directed by Lee Toland Krieger and written by J. Mills Goodloe and Salvador Paskowitz. The film stars Blake Lively in the title role, with Michiel Huisman, Kathy Baker, Amanda Cre ...

'', when Ellis first met Adaline. In ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'' episode " The Fugitive," Old Ben quotes the poem to Jenny after she gives him a kiss. Grandpa Amos McCoy (played by ''

Walter Brennan Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come and Get It'' (1936), ''Kentucky'' (1938), and '' The Westerner ...

''), recites the last four lines of the poem at the end of the Season 2 episode ("Do You Kiss Your Wife") of ''

The Real McCoys ''The Real McCoys'' is an American situation comedy starring Walter Brennan, Richard Crenna, and Kathleen Nolan. Co-produced by Danny Thomas's Marterto Productions in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's Westgate Company, it ...

'', while Grandpa Zebulon Walton (played by

Will Geer Will Geer (born William Aughe Ghere; March 9, 1902 – April 22, 1978) was an American actor, musician, and social activist, who was active in labor organizing and other movements in New York and Southern California in the 1930s and 1940s. In Ca ...

), recites the poem in Season 2 Episode 24 of "The Waltons" entitled "The Five-Foot Shelf" (1974) The first seven lines are quoted at the end of chapter 16 of

John Dickson Carr John Dickson Carr (November 30, 1906 – February 27, 1977) was an American author of detective stories, who also published using the pseudonyms Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson, and Roger Fairbairn. He lived in England for a number of years, and is ...

’s “To Wake the Dead” (first published 1938).

References

English poems {{poem-stub