Limerick fact file

A limerick is a five-line poem written with one couplet and one triplet. If a couplet is a two-line rhymed poem, then a triplet would be a three-line rhymed poem. The rhyme pattern is a a b b a with lines 1, 2 and 5 containing 3 beats and rhyming, and lines 3 and 4 having two beats and rhyming: The limerick packs laughs anatomical Into space that is quite economical. But the good ones I’ve seen So seldom are clean And the clean ones so seldom are comical.

Limericks are certainly not a modern invention. In fact, they are so old; nobody is quite sure how they started.

Some people say that the limerick was invented by soldiers returning from France to the Irish town of Limerick in the 1700's. We have found that Irish soldiers sang the popular song “Will you come to Limerick?”

Ли́мерик (англ. Limerick, ирл. Luimneach) — город на западе Ирландии, административный центр одноимённого графства. Население 52,6 тыс. человек (2006). англ.ирл.Ирландииграфства2006англ.ирл.Ирландииграфства2006 Лимерик англ. Limerick, ирл. Luimneach англ.ирл. Symbol Страна: Ирландия ПровинцияПровинция: МанстерМанстер ГрафствоГрафство: ЛимерикЛимерик Первое упоминание: 812 Город с: [[XII века]]XII века Геогр. координаты: 52°40′ с. ш. 8°38′ з.д. (G)52°40′ с. ш. 8°38′ з.д.(G) Area: 20,8 km²² Population:

Limerick

In fact, a good limerick is not an easy thing to write. When you read them, you might think they are simple to invent, but they are not because there are rules you have to stick to: There was an Old Man in a tree, Who was horribly bored by a Bee; When they said, “Does it buzz?” He replied, “Yes, it does!” “It’s a regular brute of a Bee!”

One of the first complete books of limericks to be published was called “A book of Nonsense”. It was published in 1846 and the author was Edward Lear.

Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an artist, illustrator and writer 12 May January1888artistillustratorwriter12 May January1888artistillustratorwriter Lear briefly gave drawing lessons to Queen Victoria. Queen Victoria From the age of nineteen until the time of his death he travelled round the world. Basically he travelled alone. Few friends, partners and casual fellow travellers, disappeared from his life, one after another. He took out portraits of the dead friends from frameworks and moved them to a bedroom. The walls of his drawing room were full of empty frameworks.

He was actually a painter, so it seems strange he came to write nonsense, but it all started when he was working in the country mansion of Earl of Derby. Edward Lear had been asked to do some coloured paintings of the Earl’s collection of parrots.

As well as parrots, the Earl had a lot of grandchildren, and Edward Lear somehow had to keep them amused as well. So he started writing his limericks, and go with each one, he drew a little sketch.

The Earl of Derby’s grandchildren thought these were great fun and “A Book of Nonsense” was published. There were seventy-two limericks in two volumes.

A limerick is composed of five lines, with lines one, two and five being longer than the third and fourth lines. That seems easy enough. However, there are strict rules that must be followed in the construction of these lines. The keyword is metre (meter). In a sense, the metre is the beat or the rhythm of the lines.

Limericks are meant to be funny. They contain hyperbole, onomatopoeia, idioms, puns and other figurative devices.

We can find limericks even in the plays of great Shakespeare “Othello”, “King Lear”. These humorous poems with five lines, the first two rhyming with the last are among, the merits of William Shakespeare plays. We’d like to pay your attention that his humor was based on absurd situations in these limericks

The last line of a good limerick contains the PUNCH LINE or "heart of the joke." There was an Old Person of Chili, Whose conduct was painful and silly, He sate on the stairs, Eating apples and pears, That imprudent Old Person of Chili. (E.Lear)

One of the best things about limericks is that they nearly always give you a giggle!

A flea and a fly in a flue Were caught, so what could they do? Said the fly, "Let us flee." "Let us fly," said the flea. So they flew through a flaw in the flue. Как – то муха с блохой в дымоходе Всё решали : что будет по моде? Муха: спрячемся здесь, А блоха : полетим! – Не успели: сквозило в природе…