Talk:Limerick (poetry)

Example

Must think of a better example. The metre is wrong on the current one -- Tarquin

Is it better after taking out the vandalism from a couple months ago? --Brion

Much. I obviously didn't read that closely... it's pre-breakfast in my time zone :-) -- Tarquin

Quotations

Those two references about the name, currently reference 1 and 2, are, judging by references on the web, from the fascicle containing the L, 1898, from the Oxford Dictionary 1928 edition. What is it that has to be referenced about Sumer is icumen in, currently the third reference, which has its own page? Mysha

Dave Abercrombie

I just removed quite a lot of verbiage from the "Form" section concerning the opinions of David Abercrombie. They seemed to me excessive and giving undo weight to one man's description. But others may disagree, so here's what I cut:

The following limerick is an example:[not in citation given]

The limerick’s an art form complex Whose contents run chiefly to sex; It’s famous for virgins And masculine urgin’s And vulgar erotic effects.

In the first line of this limerick, there are three unstressed syllables between the first and second stresses, two between the second and third, but only one unstressed syllable before the first stress. There may or may not be an unstressed syllable (or, rarely, two) after the final stress of the line. In the example above there are unstressed syllables at the end of lines three and four but not at the end of the remaining lines. Moreover, it is intrinsic to the limerick that there be a silent stress at the end of lines one, two, and five. A silent stress occurs when the reader undergoes the physiological changes associated with a stress but without any sound. To understand this, imagine that a drum is struck each time there is a stress. Then, in English verse, the drum beats would be equally spaced, regardless of the number of unstressed syllables that separate them. However, in reading a limerick, after the third beat of the first line, the next beat falls at the end of the line, not on the first stress of the second line. Thus, it is perhaps better to think of the limerick as having four stresses (the final one silent) in lines one, two, and five – and two stresses, of course, in lines three and four. Sometimes, the ending phrase can rhyme:

Sadly, Jack's class named math Isn't as easy as taking a bath Because he has to sit next to A person who rejects you If you're a boy like you're a type of giraffe.

(end of cut portion) - DavidWBrooks (talk) 19:37, 22 June 2016 (UTC)

Why Anespsts? + age

Why consider the limerick anapestic? Three lines are dactyls with additional unstressed feet at the beginning and end. The additional unstressed feet don't count. Those three lines could also be seen as ambhibrachs.

Also, they are an ancient form. Queen Elizabeth 1 wrote an essay on morality in this form, though I can't find it in the Web. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Indigocat (talk • contribs) 23:22, 22 October 2016 (UTC)

Anapaests? The Limerick ain't anapaestic If that's what you think then you best stick To prosaic matters With free-versing chatters It's amphibrachs keeping things zest-ic

There Limerick like poems in other meters (and the first example of course slips from the "true" form by finishing each line with an extra down beat, dropping the "al" from each of the longer lines worsens the English but improves the form!)

di DUM di / di DUM di / di DUM [di] di DUM di / di DUM di / di DUM [di] di DUM di / di DUM [di] di DUM di / di DUM [di] di DUM di / di DUM di / di DUM [di]

or to go back to Lear there WAS an old MAN with a BEARD who SAID it is JUST as i FEARED two OWLS and a HEN three LARKS and a WREN have ALL built their NESTS in my BEARD

using anapaests would stress an, with, it, as, and, and, built and finally in.

Cricketjeff (talk) 13:54, 4 February 2017 (UTC)

The first two syllables are always weak then strong, and the classic example (There ONCE was a MAN from NanTUCKet) is unambiguously amphibrachic. I've edited the article to note that some forms are amphibrachic, while others are one syllable short of both amphibrachs and anapaests, depending whether one thinks a weak syllable is missing from the start or end of the line.

121.200.5.173 (talk) 07:01, 31 May 2020 (UTC)

The article (current version) contains the sentence: "The third and fourth lines are usually anapaestic." suggesting that line 3 and 4 consist of 6 syllables. There are examples of it, but I think that another (imho more important) form should not be left out, which is that line 3 and 4 contain a iamb followed by anapaest. This form allows the limerick to be sung!

di DUM di / di DUM di / di DUM di

di DUM di / di DUM di / di DUM di

di DUM / di di DUM

di DUM / di di DUM

di DUM di / di DUM di / di DUM di

Bob.v.R (talk) 10:30, 24 March 2021 (UTC)

Haptic poetry example

The example of haptic poetry is interesting, but there is no explanation as to why it is a Limerick. Indeed there only seems to be one reference to the image on Google, in Polish ( https://poezja.org/utwor/161911-amstaffka-yoko-ze-zgierza/ ) with no mention of Limerick. Surely there should be done clarification, reference or it should be deleted.

94.14.136.222 (talk) 08:23, 30 July 2019 (UTC)

I agree with previous post: clarify or reference it. Or delete it. The objects in the picture do NOT reflet the length of limerick lines. Relevance to this article?? Pete unseth (talk) 18:29, 28 January 2020 (UTC)

Other languages?

I know of an old Latin limerick. And I've seen a modern German one. Is the limerick form found widely across Europe? Other languages? Pete unseth (talk) 18:21, 28 January 2020 (UTC)

Suggest: Insert a new section after section 3

I would like to insert a new section after section 3. It would introduce the website OEDFIL.com (The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form). I suggest the following text. Is this OK?

The website OEDFIL.com (The Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form) has the goal of writing at least one limerick for each meaning of each and every word in the English language. Started in October 2020, as of June 2021 it has attracted over 2,200 writers, who have written 110,344 approved limericks. The estimated completion date is 2063.

As of June 2021, only submissions based on words beginning with the letters Aa- through Ha- are being accepted. Each limerick is "workshopped" to ensure that it conforms to the definition of limerick in terms of meter and rhyme. Five experienced limerick writers must approve it. New limerick authors are encouraged to join in the fun.

DavidGries (talk) 11:23, 22 June 2021 (UTC)