Jenny kissed me when we met,
Jumping from the chair she sat in;
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.
Leigh Hunt’s short lyric poem Jenny Kiss’d Me is a celebration of a fleeting yet profound moment of human connection. Composed in 1838, the poem reflects Hunt's Romantic sensibilities, emphasizing emotion, spontaneity, and the individual’s subjective experience. The poem's brevity and simplicity belie its depth, as it explores themes of love, memory, and the defiance of temporal decay. Using a tight metrical structure, rhythmic cadences, and direct address, Hunt crafts a vivid snapshot of joy and intimacy.
The poem is a perfect example of lyric poetry, characterized by its brevity, personal tone, and emotional focus. It is composed of eight lines of rhymed iambic tetrameter, a meter that provides a flowing, song-like rhythm befitting its celebratory tone. The rhyme scheme follows an ABABCDCD pattern, reinforcing the unity and coherence of the poem. The conversational style and natural flow of the lines lend immediacy and intimacy to the speaker’s voice.
Theme of Time and Memory
Theme of Love and Human Connection
Literary Devices
Hunt was a contemporary of major Romantic poets such as Shelley and Keats, and his work often reflected the Romantic ethos of valuing individual experience and emotional authenticity. This particular poem is thought to have been inspired by Jane Welsh Carlyle, wife of the historian Thomas Carlyle, who reportedly greeted Hunt with a kiss during a visit. The personal nature of this anecdote lends a layer of sincerity and intimacy to the poem, making it resonate as a celebration of real human warmth.
Jenny Kiss’d Me is a masterful encapsulation of a fleeting moment’s lasting impact. Through its direct language, rhythmic grace, and vivid imagery, Leigh Hunt affirms the enduring power of affection and connection in the face of time’s inexorable passage. The poem invites readers to cherish small, joyful moments, suggesting that such memories possess a timeless vitality that outlives the trials of life. Hunt’s lyrical expression, though concise, resonates universally, celebrating the profound in the seemingly ordinary.