Limerick

The noble stature of the epic could not be more at odds with the nonsense verse the limerick.

Containing five lines with the rhyming pattern AABBA, the limerick is a brief and bouncy poem ideal for Mother Goose-style nursery rhymes. Named after the Irish town of Limerick, the poem allegedly got its name from the town custom of shouting “Will you come up to Limerick?” after a performance of nonsense poetry at social gatherings.

A humorous, bawdy, child-like rhyme is called limerick. It follows the following set of rules:

• A limerick must be exactly 5 lines
• The lines must follow the AABBA rhyme scheme
  - The 1st & 2nd lines must rhyme
  - The 3rd & 4th lines must rhyme
  - The 5th line must rhyme with the 1st
• The A lines have more words and syllables than the B lines
  - The 1st, 2nd, & 5th lines usually have 7–9 syllables
  - The 3rd & 4th lines usually have 5–7 syllables

Examples:

Old Man Limerick

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!”

Young Lady Limerick

There once was a young lady named bright.

Whose speed was much faster than light.

She set out one day,

In a relative way,

And returned on the previous night.

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