Limericks: Not Your Grandmother's Poetry

Like many phenomena surrounding the written word, the origin of the term “limerick” to describe the five-line poem we know today, are far more elusive and mysterious than its name might seem. Limerick is, of course, a county and city in Ireland, but the history of the sometimes nonsensical and often downright bawdy form of poetry begins long before The County Limerick lends it its name. The history of the limerick, often like the thing itself, is somewhat controversial, and tells with it the story of the working class in Ireland and England finding comedy through word play in a tumultuous era. So, sit back, relax, and bear with me as I try to unfold the complex tapestry of the world’s favorite form of poetry (the world in that sentence is referring to me). 

I realize that to understand the history of something, whether that be the game of chess or the study of quantum mechanics, it probably helps to understand the thing itself. To start, see below for a visual representation of a limerick, otherwise known as an example:

The limerick packs laugh anatomical 

Into space that is quite economical. 

But the good ones I’ve seen 

So seldom are clean 

And the clean ones so seldom are comical 

Written by an unknown author, this meta-limerick not only explains the general theme behind modern day limericks, but is also a great example of the poem’s form. Limericks are five-line poems the follow the rhyme scheme aabba (not to be confused for the Swedish band), meaning the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme, and the third and fourth lines rhyme. The third and fourth lines are usually the shortest and often set up a punchline or witty pun to be revealed in the fifth line. The perhaps seemingly random bolded sections (bolded by me, not the author) are parts where the syllable is stressed, and all limericks typically follow the same sing-song pattern when said aloud. Now, although limericks are known for their innuendo-riddled tone today, they weren’t always so foul-mouthed. In fact, they used to be quite holy.

Thomas Aquinas, who you might recall reading about in PHI 110 or during a deep dive internet search into obscure and fascinating philosophical figure heads (just me?), is commonly credited with penning the first ever recorded limerick. Aquinas’ limerick did not start with a man from Nantucket, however, and instead is a rather solemn poem about God, sins, and heaven. It follows the rhyme scheme however, in its original Latin form, so it technically counts. After Aquinas, Shakespeare tried his hand at writing limericks, but we all know how much he loved iambic pentameter, and it’s difficult to capture the epitome of angst that is Romeo and Juliet in five lines. The style of poetry that is the limerick is still unnamed up to this point, but Edward Lear comes in with his Book of Nonsense (real title) to create limericks that are more accessible to the masses and travel unexpectedly from nursery rooms to taverns. 

Allow me to set the scene. England. 1846. A man by the name of Edward Lear decides he wants to write a children’s book. England was fairly bleak for a lot of people at this time, and maybe the children wanted something a bit more light-hearted to read after Dicken’s heart-breaking tale Oliver Twist. Something like 72 poems (again, not quite named limericks yet but we’re close!) about bees laying nests in beards and running away from flautists. Like the name suggests, his book is full of nonsensical stories, each one playful and aimed at kids. These poems, however, start getting passed around in pubs and taverns across Ireland, and from there they quickly progress into having more adult themes. It is because of the poems’ popularity with Irish working-class tavern-goers, that they are dubbed “limericks,” thought to be named after a verse in a very nonsensical Irish drinking song. Cut to present day, and limericks are still an important part of Irish culture and are often associated with pints, laughs, and having an all-around good time with friends. 

Now that you know about the fascinating history of the limerick, my challenge to you is to write one of your own! Read some limericks, find some you like, and try to match their style with your own words! Though I would be careful about choosing which ones to take to open mic night…

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About the author: Nikki Shouse is a rising college senior in Kentucky majoring in English. Nikki loves reading and writing both for their school and in their free time, and their favorite genres are science fiction and horror. When Nikki is not reading or writing, you can usually find them embroidering or playing Stardew. Nikki hopes to one days have their own books and screenplays published and work in publishing to help other aspiring authors see their works in print too!