Jenny Kissed Me Poem by James Henry Leigh Hunt

Jenny Kissed Me

Rating: 3.2

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.

COMMENTS OF THE POEM
Sarah Fish 29 March 2005

I love this poem; it is, I feel, a perfect example of how much pride and excitement one expresses at the simplest things when one is in love. It really made me smile, and it made my friend Jenny smile too!

15 5 Reply
Res John Burman 30 September 2012

Oh dear, this reminds me of so many ladies, one or two of them called Jenny! This is the joy of poetry, when it grabs you, it is as though is was written by one's own sub-concious. Now if only I had Leigh Hunt's sweet facility with words.... Love this one!

14 4 Reply
* Sunprincess * 25 November 2013

this one makes me laugh, because a kiss can be worth more than gold :)

14 4 Reply
Jed Huff 22 February 2014

I believe it is a reflection of an older man who's heart was fond of a girl. And although time may have stole away his opportunities for all that supposedly makes one happy, (health and wealth) there's one good thing that happened that he does not want time to forget. Jenny kissed him.

11 1 Reply
Garrett A. Hughes 15 February 2016

Found this poem in a flyer while skiing in Vermont a week or so ago (Feb 2016) . It was accompanied by a beautiful picture in silhouette of an older gentleman sitting next to a wood/coal stove, stooped slightly over, reading a book, and his wife, dressed in a beautiful full-skirted dress, leaning over and looking into a large soup kettle on top of the stove that she was stirring. You can't imagine how well the poem and the picture go together. I made a Valentine out of both with a little help from Photoshop, Adobe FrameMaker and my scanner printer. My wife was very touched as I changed the name in the poem to hers. We are both in our 70s. Fortunately, health has not missed us, but I love this poem.

6 1 Reply
Bryan Sefton 06 July 2020

A simple poem that creates all the right feelings. Happiness. nostalgia, longing for the innocent times I envy my Grandchildren for because they have them ahead.

1 0 Reply
Me Poet Yeps Poet 06 December 2019

Time, you thief, who love to get Sweets into your list, put that in! explicit desires how lucky Jenny did kiss you

0 0 Reply
Carl J. Denbow 18 September 2018

This poem was in a collection my father had, and. it captivated me when I first read it, especially the last few lines. Every once in awhile it comes back into my consciousness - like today when I looked it up on this website. Now, like another poster, I'm growing old... in my early 70s... but I have a daughter Jenny... who kissed me! ; -) [This poem played a role in why I agreed with my wife that Jennifer would be a good name for our younger daughter.]

3 1 Reply
Stephen Hocking. 26 June 2018

I cannot remember the exact story behind this poem but as best as I can remember it commemorates a moment when Leigh Hunt, the poet, who had been quite ill, visits the family of his friend, another poet whose name I don’t recall, and is greeted in the manner he recounts by the poets wife, Jenny, normally a rather reserved and cold person but whom in this moment of happy relief, seeing their friend recovered, casts aside her usual inhibitions and kisses him in joy at his survival.

2 1 Reply
Anita Garlick 22 March 2018

Jenny is my adorable grandaughter, Chera, who jumped up from her chair and kissed me when she saw me.

1 1 Reply
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