A limerick is a short rhymed poem which intends to be witty or humorous, and is sometimes obscene with humorous intent.

By nature, a limerick is simple and short, consisting of five lines.  The first line traditionally introduces a person and a place (e.g. ‘There once was a man from ….’!), with the place appearing at the end of the first line. This then established the rhyming scheme for the second and fifth lines.  In early limericks, the last line was essentially a repeat of the first line.

The name ‘limerick’ is believed to have originated in Limerick, Ireland, and was first documented in England in 1998 (New England Dictionary).

The limerick as a form of poetry has survived the test of time, dating back for centuries!

Variants of the poetry form of limericks can be traced back to fourteenth century English history, where they were used in Nursery Rhymes for children.

However, as they were short, relatively easy to compose (no great talent is necessary to compose one), and bawdy or sexual in nature, they were often repeated by beggars or the working classes in the British pubs and taverns of the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventh centuries. The poets who created these limericks were therefore often drunkards, and so limericks were also referred to as dirty.

And yet, while the poetic and literary skills of Shakespeare are not necessary for the composition of a limerick, this very famous poet did in fact write limericks, which can be found in two of his greatest plays – Othello and King Lear.

Centuries later, Edward Lear’s ‘Book of Nonsense’ was written in the poetry form of the limerick. His work with limericks, however, was not in any way indecent and this particular book proved to be extremely popular in the nineteenth century.

The first edition of Edward Lear’s Book of Nonsense was published by Thomas McLean on 10th February 1846. There were altogether seventy-two limericks in two volumes which sold at 3s 6d each. These limericks have proven to be extremely popular with children.

Limerick by Edward Lear – The Book of Nonsense!

There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, ‘It is just as I feared!
Two Owls and a Hen,
Four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard!’

For all it’s simplicity and perhaps dubious reputation, the limerick is still a recognised poetry style. It also makes people – happy!

© Copyright J M Lennox. All Rights Reserved.