Ririro

Poor Mary (Nursery Rhyme)

Summary


"Poor Mary" (also known as "Poor Jenny") is a nursery rhyme in which Jenny weeps on a bright summer's day, longing for a loved one. Told in a call-and-response style, the rhyme invites children to participate as Jenny explains her sadness, then rises to choose her loved one before saying a gentle farewell with a handshake. The contrast between sunny summer joy and tender heartache gives this short rhyme a quietly emotional pull.

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Poor Jenny is a-weeping,
A-weeping, a-weeping,
Poor Jenny is a-weeping
On a bright summer’s day.
Why are you weeping,
Weeping, weeping,
Why are you weeping,
On a bright summer’s day?
I’m weeping for a loved one,
A loved one, a loved one,
I’m weeping for a loved one,
On a bright summer’s day.
Stand up and choose your loved one,
Your loved one, your loved one,
Stand up and choose your loved one,
One a bright summer’s day.
Shake hands before you leave ‘er,
You leave ‘er, you leave ‘er,
Shake hands before you leave ‘er,
On a bright summer’s day.

A young girl weeping on a summer's day as friends look on, illustrated scene from Poor Mary nursery rhyme.
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Credits

Ririro is a curated collection of free short stories, poems, and nursery rhymes for children. "Poor Mary" is a traditional English playground rhyme, long used as a singing game in which children act out the roles of weeping, choosing, and parting.