Can you tell me what you mean by a literary hymn? Do you mean one that's not sung? Because when you mention "John Barleycorn," of course I immediately think of the lovely sung version I got from you (that I guess you got from nineweaving, right?)

What would other literary hymns be? Things like the poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins?

So you got whooping cough in high school, eh? My sister got it when she was in college. Not so very fun :-(