There was an Old Man in a Marsh*,
Whose manners were futile and harsh;
He sate** on a log, and sang songs to a frog,
That instructive Old Man in a Marsh.
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘One Hundred Nonsense Pictures and Rhymes,’ page 223, limerick 18
*marsh: land that is flooded in wet seasons or high tides, typically remaining waterlogged, or saturated with water, at all times, in which aquatic plants may grow.
**sate: archaic, or older form of the word that is no longer in standard usage, formerly used as the past tense of ‘sit.’ Sate as a past tense of ‘sit’ has been replaced by ‘sat’ in modern standard English.
Whose manners were futile and harsh;
He sate** on a log, and sang songs to a frog,
That instructive Old Man in a Marsh.
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘One Hundred Nonsense Pictures and Rhymes,’ page 223, limerick 18
*marsh: land that is flooded in wet seasons or high tides, typically remaining waterlogged, or saturated with water, at all times, in which aquatic plants may grow.
**sate: archaic, or older form of the word that is no longer in standard usage, formerly used as the past tense of ‘sit.’ Sate as a past tense of ‘sit’ has been replaced by ‘sat’ in modern standard English.
