Limerick?

Limerick?

Recently, a lottery winner was mentioned in the news who came from Limerick, a city in the Republic of Ireland. A limerick is a very old form of humorous 5-lined poems which date back to the 14th century, and the town of Limerick. The rhythm is always the same, and their aim is to make you laugh. The artist, illustrator and writer Edward Lear, was known for his ‘nonsense’ verse, among them these typical examples of Lear limericks:

There was an Old Man of Moldavia,
Who had the most curious behaviour;
For while he was able,
He slept on a table.
That funny Old Man of Moldavia.

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!’

There was a Young Lady of Portugal,
Whose ideas were excessively nautical:
She climbed up a tree,
To examine the sea,
But declared she would never leave Portugal.

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 Man of Aôsta,
Who possessed a large cow, but he lost her;
But they said, ‘Don’t you see,
She has rushed up a tree?
You invidious Old Man of Aôsta!’