“In spite of all the cares and sorrows of this life, he thinks we are so constituted that a good honest hearty laugh, which conceals no malice, and is excited by nothing corrupt, however ungenteel it may be, is healthful both to body and mind.”

Defending simple mirth as a natural and beneficial human capacity · Preface to Poems (1844)

• Health
• Humour
• Joy

“It was written at the request of my children, and for their amusement, on Christmas Eve, 1822.”

A modest account of the poem’s origin as a family Christmas entertainment · Preface to Poems (1844)

• Childhood
• Family
• Joy