On May 12, National Limerick Day is celebrated to pay tribute to the man who made the short poems widespread, his name was Edward Lear. He was an English poet known for his nonsense style, he often wrote with made-up words, telling tales of “runcible spoons” and “Quangle-Wangles.” Lear wrote 212 limericks, the majority of which did not follow the typical rhyming rules of the style. Regardless, that by definition limericks have five lines, Edward Lear’s were often delivered in three or four, to give room to his accompanying drawings and illustrations. The most favored limerick for Lear was – [“There was an Old Man of Peru, who watched his wife making a stew; But once by mistake, In a stove, she did bake, That unfortunate Man of Peru”].
The basis of the poem’s name is a bit disputed, but most people assume it comes from the Irish city Limerick. Limericks are funny, quick poems with just fine lines, the first two rhyming with the fifth line, and the third and fourth lines rhyming together. Limericks first started to emerge in England in the 18th century. The majority of limericks begin by describing a person and place, and afterward, the rest of the lines describe the actions of that person. Limericks can be crude and vulgar and are usually inappropriate. Lear considered “clean” limericks to be average at best and therefore liked it that way. More contemporary limericks have turned toward social issues and current events.
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Timeline of National Limerick Day
18th century (Origin of the Limerick) – Many recommend that the name came from the chorus of an Irish soldier’s song “Will You Come Up to Limerick?”
1820 (Collection of Limericks) – The first collections of limericks date back to this time.
1877 (Limericks Become Popular) – Poets and writers started to indulge in composing limericks.
20th century (Competitive Limerick-Writing) – Limerick contests grew in popularity, often hosted by magazines and business houses.
Activities on National Limerick Day
#1 – Write your own limerick – The crazier, the better. Get together with a group of friends to see who can come up with the most nonsensical and funniest five-liner to pay tribute to Edward Lear. When you create your best draft, make certain to share it with the world using #nationallimerickday. You could become a famous poet. Or, leastwise, get a retweet or two.
#2 – Take a poetry class – Try yourself at the limerick five lines, and then expand to other styles of poetry. For instance, a free verse poem doesn’t have any rules and allows the writer to play around with lines, rhyming, and even punctuation. A sonnet is a rhyming poem consisting of fourteen lines. Along with city recreation centers, many libraries offer community writing classes. Explore one and get creative.
#3 – Take a trip to Limerick, Ireland – This option is for the boldest limerick lovers. Travel to the poem’s country namesake, and spend some time in the land of Limerick. Visit St. John’s Cathedral and take a boat tour along the River Shannon. Visit the People’s Park and then stop in the Hunt Museum, where you can see original works from Leonardo da Vinci and Picasso.
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Why Do We Love National Limerick Day
1) They Let Us Be Creative
Limericks are easy to write and short. It is a wonderful way to put pen to paper and dash a few poems. Think up nutty situations and characters and put them together in a quick poem. By writing a couple, impress your friends and see which ones they like best.
2) They Are of The People
Not everyone adores poetry. Some can be hard to comprehend, or a little too emotional and humorless. Limericks present an amusing way to still be poetic, without taking themselves too earnestly. Not every poem must be 100 lines long without any rhyming. Limericks live a little and make you giggle.
3) They Remind Us of Our Youth
If you recall English class and learning about poetry, you can still hear your English teacher’s voice repeating these melodic lines: “Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, and down he run. Hickory Dickory Dock.”
