There was an Old Person of Rye*,
Who went up to town on a fly;
But they said, “If you cough,
You are safe to fall off!
You abstemious old person of Rye!”
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘Twenty-Six Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures,’ limerick 81
*Rye: A town in England, formerly located on the coast of the English Channel, but presently located about 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) inland, due to the build-up of land from silting, changes to river flow of the River Rother, tidal changes, and land reclamation.
Who went up to town on a fly;
But they said, “If you cough,
You are safe to fall off!
You abstemious old person of Rye!”
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘Twenty-Six Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures,’ limerick 81
*Rye: A town in England, formerly located on the coast of the English Channel, but presently located about 3 kilometers (about 2 miles) inland, due to the build-up of land from silting, changes to river flow of the River Rother, tidal changes, and land reclamation.
