There was a young belle of old Natchez
Whose garments were always in patchez.
When comments arose
On the state of her clothes,
She replied, ‘When Ah itchez, Ah scratchez.”
--Ogden Nash
Ogden Nash and Edward Lear made limericks famous, but the form is way older than that. Most historians think limericks originated in the Middle Ages, in France. A limerick does appear in an eleventh century manuscript, and in the twelfth century, Saint Thomas Aquinas wrote a prayer limerick in Latin!
In the sixteenth century, William Shakespeare used limericks for comic interludes in many of his plays. Other poets and writers followed suit, and in the nineteenth century, a full-blown fad broke out.
Most of the limericks published in the nineteenth century were funny. Some were saucy or downright naughty. Some experimented with the form, but most relied on the tried-and true patterns of 8-8-5-5-8 syllables, with the first and last lines rhyming.
To celebrate the sheer good fun that limericks offer, we’ve created a Malinkrodt Park Limerick Walk. The first four lines are on one side, with the last line—can you guess it?—on the back. Like any good comedian, they’ll be there all month.
And if the Limerick Walk whets your appetite, come on in to the library and check out Edward Lear's poetry!