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Henry Sambrooke Leigh's "The Twins" · The Daily Poem

• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to The Daily Poem, a podcast from Goldberry Studios.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Sean Johnson, and today is Friday, May 9th, 2025.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: Today's poem is a comic lyric from a lesser-known poet,
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_00: Henry Sambrook Lee,
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: who was born in 1837 and died 1883.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: And Lee is a fascinating figure.
• 0:29
  Even in childhood,
• 0:31
  he distinguished himself as a clever and witty boy and a
• 0:35
  SPEAKER_00: In his adulthood,
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  SPEAKER_00: he developed a passion for writing plays and operas,
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: of which he produced many.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: He was hardworking and prolific,
• 0:45
  and his verse was often praised for its technical excellence
• 0:50
  and for its ease and
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  SPEAKER_00: natural quality,
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  SPEAKER_00: but it never quite rose to the level of the sublime,
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  SPEAKER_00: though he produced many.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: many volumes of poetry and many plays and operas in his lifetime.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Not all were financial successes at the time,
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  SPEAKER_00: and few or none have endured with any kind of lasting reputation,
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: with the exception of some of his wittier light verse,
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_00: like today's poem,
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: The Twins.
• 1:22
  SPEAKER_00: And after reading a poem like this and knowing Lee's story,
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  I can't help but feel for the man and feel that I would like to
• 1:31
  have been friends
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: with him.
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  SPEAKER_00: So in that spirit, here is the twins.
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  SPEAKER_00: In form and feature,
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  SPEAKER_00: face and limb,
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  I grew so like my brother that folks got taking me for him and
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  each for one another.
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  SPEAKER_00: It puzzled all our kith and kin,
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  SPEAKER_00: it reached a fearful pitch,
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  SPEAKER_00: for one of us was born a twin,
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  SPEAKER_00: yet not a soul knew which.
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  SPEAKER_00: One day,
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  SPEAKER_00: to make the matter worse,
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  SPEAKER_00: before our names were fixed,
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: as we were being washed by nurse,
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: we got completely mixed.
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  SPEAKER_00: And thus you see,
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  SPEAKER_00: by fate's decree,
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  SPEAKER_00: or rather nurse's whim,
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  SPEAKER_00: my brother John got christened me,
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  SPEAKER_00: and I got christened him.
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  SPEAKER_00: This fatal likeness even dogged my footsteps when at school,
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  SPEAKER_00: and I was always getting flogged,
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  SPEAKER_00: for John turned out a fool.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: I put this question fruitlessly to everyone I knew.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: What would you do if you were me to prove that you were you?
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Our close resemblance turned the tide of my domestic life,
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: for somehow my intended bride became my brother's wife.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, year after year the same, absurd mistakes went on.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: When I died, the neighbors came and buried brother John.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: This has been The Daily Poem.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: We'll be back next week with more poetry for you.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: Until then,
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: and I never get tired of saying this,
• 2:56
  you can find us at dailypoempod.substack.com where you can
• 3:01
  listen to our past
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: episodes and or become a subscribing supporter of our show,
• 3:06
  which will gain you access to our Tuesday and Thursday episodes
• 3:11
  and a newfound
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: sense of benevolence and satisfaction,
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: I would imagine.
• 3:16
  For all of us at Goldberry Studios,
• 3:18
  I'm Sean Johnson wishing you happy reading.