Oh, those funny limericks!

For those who consume poetry voraciously limericks are generally not on the menu. Serious critics of poetry hardly comment on limericks. Even anthologies of poetry do not include limericks for reasons known to their compilers. Very few of the budding poets turn to write limericks simply because most of them are not familiar with this genre.

To put it very briefly, a limerick is a funny poem with five lines. It has a special way of rhyming. In addition, each line of a limerick begins with a capital letter. Although funny, it has a set pattern. Lines 1, 2 and 5 are the longest lines of a limerick. Lines 3 and 4 are usually shorter than the others. Meanwhile, lines 1, 2 and 5 end in words that rhyme. Similarly, lines 3 and 4 end in words that rhyme. A special feature is that lines 3 and 4 are indented.

Here is a limerick written according to the above rules:

A cheerful old bear at the zoo
Could always find something to do.
When it bored him to go
On a walk to and fro
He reversed it and walked fro and to.

Here is another popular limerick:

Said a restless young person of Yew,
"I will purchase a nice kangaroo;
I can sit in her pouch.
And pretend it's a couch
And wherever she hops, I will too!"

It is surprising that limerick, a humorous verse form, subject of which is often nonsensical follows a strict structure. Originally, however, limericks were delivered orally and they served as commentaries on manners and behaviour.

Edward Lear (1812-1888) is regarded as the father of limericks. Lear spent his early working life as a draughtsman for the Zoological Society. Later he served as an artist for the British Museum. He did a close study of animal life and this is often echoed in his much-loved limericks and nonsense verses.

Being a multi-faceted man, Lear travelled widely in his lifetime and produced many wonderful painitings and poetry. The excellence of his early drawings of birds drew the attention of the London Zoological Society.

Then he drew illustrations for "The Family of the Psittacidae" (1832). They were considered to be most precise ornithological drawings. He also travelled widely in Europe and the Near East and recorded his impressions in the "Illustrated Journals".

Although Lear produced a number of excellent travel books, he is remembered today for his limericks and nonsensical verses. He gave the limericks a modern formula and wrote "A Book of Nonsense" (1846) and "Nonsense Songs" (1871) and "Laughable Lyrics" (1877).

Here is a limerick Lear wrote following the original formula:

There was an Old Man of the Coast
Who placidly sat on a post,
But when it was cold
He relinquished his hold,
And called for some hot buttered toast.

Lear's most popular nonsensical verse is "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat":

The Owl and the Pussy-Cat went to sea
In a beautiful pea-green boat,
They took some honey, and plenty of money,
Wrapped up in a five-pound note
The Owl looked up to the stars above,
And sang to a smaller guitar,
`O lovely Pussy! O Pussy, my love,
What a beautiful Pussy you are,
You are,
You are!
What a beautiful Pussy you are!'

Pussy said to the Owl, `You elegant fowl!

How charmingly sweet you sing!
O let us be married! Too long have we tarried;
But what shall we do for a ring?'
They sailed away, for a year and a day,
To the land where the Bong-tree grows
And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood
With a ring at the end of his nose,
His nose,
His nose,
With a ring at the end of his nose.
`Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling
Your ring? `Said that Piggy, `I will.'
So they took it away, and were married next day
By the Turkey who lives on the hill.
They dined on mice, and slices of quince,
Which they ate with a runcible spoon;
And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,
They danced by the light of the moon,
The moon,
The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

Although limericks may not belong to the mainstream poetry, they give us a sense of humour and relief.