The Beauty of the Limerick

Here is a good ol' limerick post for all of you craving one. 

In 1846, Iowa became the 29th state, the US went to war with Mexico, the saxophone was patented (by Adolphe Sax, interestingly enough), and a little children's book called A Book of Nonsense was published.  The author Edward Lear was a painter and writer and a great lover of the limerick.  "The Owl and the Pussy Cat" is his most well-known poem.  Do you remember Owl and Cat who dined on mince, and slices of quince, which they ate with a runcible spoon?  Runcible.  Lear does what he pleases, and when he can't find a word that suits, he simple makes one up.  Lear had a cat named Foss, and it was his habit to draw himself with a long nose, a rotund middle, and skinny legs.  Along with the funny, there is usually a touch of sadness in his poetry.  But let us stop right there.  Mr. Lear--who always uses only the most binnicular expressions--should be allowed to introduce himself.

How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear

How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!       Who has written such volumes of stuff! Some think him ill-tempered and queer,       But a few think him pleasant enough. His mind is concrete and fastidious,       His nose is remarkably big; His visage is more or less hideous,       His beard it resembles a wig. He has ears, and two eyes, and ten fingers,       Leastways if you reckon two thumbs; Long ago he was one of the singers,       But now he is one of the dumbs. He sits in a beautiful parlour,       With hundreds of books on the wall; He drinks a great deal of Marsala,       But never gets tipsy at all. He has many friends, lay men and clerical,       Old Foss is the name of his cat; His body is perfectly spherical,       He weareth a runcible hat. When he walks in waterproof white,       The children run after him so! Calling out, "He's gone out in his night-       Gown, that crazy old Englishman, oh!" He weeps by the side of the ocean,       He weeps on the top of the hill; He purchases pancakes and lotion,       And chocolate shrimps from the mill. He reads, but he cannot speak Spanish,       He cannot abide ginger beer: Ere the days of his pilgrimage vanish,       How pleasant to know Mr. Lear!

Here are a few of Lear's limericks.  Enjoy his ridiculous charm.

There was a Young Lady whose chin


Resembled the point of a pin;


So she had it made sharp, and purchased a harp,


And played several tunes with her chin.

There was an Old Person of Dean,


Who dined on one pea and one bean;


For he said, “More than that would make me too fat,”


That cautious Old Person of Dean.

Did you know that there is such a position as Children’s Poet Laureate?  There is.  One of the duties of a poet laureate is to create opportunities for people to engage in poetry.  When Mary Ann Hoberman was Children's Poet Laureate, she produced a delightful series of videos.  The videos give the same effect as sitting on Grandma's lap listening to her read.   In this video, she shares the poetry of Edward Lear:  The Poetry Foundation

Great books for kids:

Amazon Link

Mary Ann Hoberman is a wonderful poet.  

My children love this book.

Amazon Link

Other limericks written by famous authors:

http://www.freewebs.com/grahamlester/classics.htm