Leigh Hunt - Jenny Kissed Me

Leigh Hunt
James Henry Leigh Hunt was born into a poor family near London in 1784 and died in 1859. He was an essayist, critic, poet, and publisher. But he was not a renowned poet, though his poem “Jenny Kissed Me,” included in our first leaflet, has been enjoyed and often quoted for nearly two centuries. However, he lived during an age of English Romanticism and was influential in the lives of Percy Bysshe Shelley, Lord Byron, and John Keats. He was also contemporary with Samuel Coleridge, William Wordsworth, and Charles Dickens. Such great company has given him a distinguished status.

He and his brother, John created a political weekly in 1808 that established their liberal reputation called the Examiner. One section on “Young Poets” gave Keats and Shelley access to valuable space where some of their first works were published.
In 1812 the Hunts wrote an article that called the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, “a violator of his word, a libertine over head and ears in disgrace, a despiser of domestic ties, the companion of gamblers and demireps.” As a result, both brothers were convicted by a jury of libel and sentenced to two years in prison.

Though he continued to write for the Examiner while in prison, Leigh Hunt’s separation from his family convinced him to turn away from political writing and to focus on literary writing.

About "Jenny Kissed Me"
In 1835 Leigh Hunt and his large family moved to Chelsea in London and became neighbor to poet and author, Thomas Carlyle, at his suggestion. The two became close friends and Hunt’s home was always open to his circle of friends, of which there were many.

Two stories exist. One story is that Leigh Hunt visited the Carlyles to deliver the news that he was going to publish one of Thomas Carlyle’s poems. When the news was delivered to Carlyle’s wife, Jane, she jumped up and kissed him.

The more common story is that during one winter Hunt was sick with influenza and absent for so long that when he finally recovered and went to visit the Carlyles, Jane jumped up and kissed him as soon as he appeared at the door. Two days later one of the Hunt servants delivered a note, addressed, “From Mr. Hunt to Mrs. Carlyle.” containing the first draft of the poem, “Jenny Kissed Me.”

Read this article for a more detailed analysis of the poem.

You can download a poster of his poem 'Jenny Kissed Me' on the sidebar. Why not print it out and frame or laminate it for display in your waiting room or staff room?
The poem is included in 'The Oxford Book of English Verse' published by OUP and you can order on Amazon or at any good bookshop.