There was an Old Man of the Wrekin*,
Whose shoes made a horrible creaking
But they said, ‘Tell us whether,
Your shoes are of leather,
Or of what, you Old Man of the Wrekin?’
-Edward Lear: “A Book of Nonsense” (1846), page 69, limerick 29
*The Wrekin is a prominent hill in east Shropshire, England, as well as being the name of a nearby borough that has come to be known as Telford And Wrekin.
Note: Some versions of Edward Lear’s limerick poem may read ‘the Wrekin,’ and other versions may read ‘Wrekin’ without the article ‘the.’
Whose shoes made a horrible creaking
But they said, ‘Tell us whether,
Your shoes are of leather,
Or of what, you Old Man of the Wrekin?’
-Edward Lear: “A Book of Nonsense” (1846), page 69, limerick 29
*The Wrekin is a prominent hill in east Shropshire, England, as well as being the name of a nearby borough that has come to be known as Telford And Wrekin.
Note: Some versions of Edward Lear’s limerick poem may read ‘the Wrekin,’ and other versions may read ‘Wrekin’ without the article ‘the.’
There was an Old Person of Ickley*,
Who could not abide to ride quickly;
He rode to Karnak**, on a tortoise’s back,
That moony Old Person of Ickley.
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘One Hundred Nonsense Pictures and Rhymes,’ page 201, limerick 67
*Ickley is not the name of any known existing geographic area. The closest named geographic area is Ilkley, a town on the south bank of the River Wharfe, in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, Northern England.
**Karnak, also known as Al-Karnak and the Temple Complex of Karnak, is an archaeological site in Egypt.
Who could not abide to ride quickly;
He rode to Karnak**, on a tortoise’s back,
That moony Old Person of Ickley.
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘One Hundred Nonsense Pictures and Rhymes,’ page 201, limerick 67
*Ickley is not the name of any known existing geographic area. The closest named geographic area is Ilkley, a town on the south bank of the River Wharfe, in the City of Bradford, West Yorkshire, Northern England.
**Karnak, also known as Al-Karnak and the Temple Complex of Karnak, is an archaeological site in Egypt.
There was an Old Person whose habits,
Induced him to feed upon Rabbits;
When he’d eaten eighteen,
He turned perfectly green,
Upon which he relinquished those habits.
-Edward Lear: “The Book of Nonsense” (about 1887), page 32, limerick 33
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the next article, or click or tap on these words to read Habits And Routines Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the next article, or click or tap on these words to read Rabbits Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
Induced him to feed upon Rabbits;
When he’d eaten eighteen,
He turned perfectly green,
Upon which he relinquished those habits.
-Edward Lear: “The Book of Nonsense” (about 1887), page 32, limerick 33
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the next article, or click or tap on these words to read Habits And Routines Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
Continue scrolling down this website page to read the next article, or click or tap on these words to read Rabbits Gathered By David Hugh Beaumont.
There was an Old Man of Toulouse*
Who purchased a new pair of shoes;
When they asked, “Are they pleasant?” - He said, “Not at present!”
That turbid Old Man of Toulouse.
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘One Hundred Nonsense Pictures and Rhymes,’ page 125, limerick 8
*Toulouse is a city in southern France, on the banks of the River Garonne. The city’s name is believed to be of ancient origin, derived from or meaning ‘stones and water.’ The city’s modern nickname is La Ville Rose (English: The Pink City), due to its many pink masonry buildings.
Who purchased a new pair of shoes;
When they asked, “Are they pleasant?” - He said, “Not at present!”
That turbid Old Man of Toulouse.
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘One Hundred Nonsense Pictures and Rhymes,’ page 125, limerick 8
*Toulouse is a city in southern France, on the banks of the River Garonne. The city’s name is believed to be of ancient origin, derived from or meaning ‘stones and water.’ The city’s modern nickname is La Ville Rose (English: The Pink City), due to its many pink masonry buildings.
There was an Old Person of Tring*,
Who embellished his nose with a ring;
He gazed at the moon,
Every evening in June,
That ecstatic Old Person of Tring.
-Edward Lear: “The Book of Nonsense” (about 1887), page 64, limerick 67
*Tring is a market town in Hertfordshire, England. ‘Tring’ is derived from an Old English word believed to mean ‘slope on which trees grow.’
Who embellished his nose with a ring;
He gazed at the moon,
Every evening in June,
That ecstatic Old Person of Tring.
-Edward Lear: “The Book of Nonsense” (about 1887), page 64, limerick 67
*Tring is a market town in Hertfordshire, England. ‘Tring’ is derived from an Old English word believed to mean ‘slope on which trees grow.’
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.
There was an Old Person of Sestri*,
Who sate himself down in the vestry**;
When they said, “You are wrong!” - he merely said “Bong!”
That repulsive Old Person of Sestri.
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘One Hundred Nonsense Pictures and Rhymes,’ page 117, limerick 71
*Sestri may refer to Sestri Levante, a town in the City of Genoa, Liguria, Italy. Sestri Levante is on a peninsula on the Italian Riviera, between the Baia del Silenzio (English: Bay of Silence) and the Baia delle Favole (English: Bay of Fables, named in honor of its one-time resident Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen). Sestri may also refer to Sestri Ponente, a suburb of Geneo in northwest Italy.
**vestry: a room in which clergy put on their ceremonial clothes, or vestments, before a religious service; a vestry may also be used as storage space, or for gatherings such as prayer meetings and Sunday schools.
Who sate himself down in the vestry**;
When they said, “You are wrong!” - he merely said “Bong!”
That repulsive Old Person of Sestri.
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘One Hundred Nonsense Pictures and Rhymes,’ page 117, limerick 71
*Sestri may refer to Sestri Levante, a town in the City of Genoa, Liguria, Italy. Sestri Levante is on a peninsula on the Italian Riviera, between the Baia del Silenzio (English: Bay of Silence) and the Baia delle Favole (English: Bay of Fables, named in honor of its one-time resident Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen). Sestri may also refer to Sestri Ponente, a suburb of Geneo in northwest Italy.
**vestry: a room in which clergy put on their ceremonial clothes, or vestments, before a religious service; a vestry may also be used as storage space, or for gatherings such as prayer meetings and Sunday schools.
There was an Old Man of Boulak*,
Who sat on a Crocodile’s back;
But they said, “Towr’ds the night, he may probably bite,
Which might vex you, Old Man of Boulak!”
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘One Hundred Nonsense Pictures and Rhymes, page 221, limerick 88
*Boulak, commonly spelled as Boulaq, is an area within Cairo, Egypt, adjacent to Downtown Cairo, Azbakeya, and the Nile River. Other spellings, resulting from translations to English spellings and letter characters, for Boulaq include Bulaq, Bulak, Bulac, and Boulac.
Who sat on a Crocodile’s back;
But they said, “Towr’ds the night, he may probably bite,
Which might vex you, Old Man of Boulak!”
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘One Hundred Nonsense Pictures and Rhymes, page 221, limerick 88
*Boulak, commonly spelled as Boulaq, is an area within Cairo, Egypt, adjacent to Downtown Cairo, Azbakeya, and the Nile River. Other spellings, resulting from translations to English spellings and letter characters, for Boulaq include Bulaq, Bulak, Bulac, and Boulac.
There was a young lady in blue,
Who said, “Is it you, Is it you?”
When they said, “Yes, it is,” - She replied only, “Whizz!”
That ungracious young lady in blue.
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘One Hundred Nonsense Pictures and Rhymes,’ page 147, limerick 38
Who said, “Is it you, Is it you?”
When they said, “Yes, it is,” - She replied only, “Whizz!”
That ungracious young lady in blue.
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, Etc.” (1872), ‘One Hundred Nonsense Pictures and Rhymes,’ page 147, limerick 38
There was an old man of Cashmere*,
Whose movements were scroobious and queer;
Being slender and tall, he looked over a wall,
And perceived two fat ducks of Cashmere.
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, etc.” (1872), ‘Twenty-Six Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures,’ page 273
*Cashmere during the time of the author may have referred to a geographic area called Kashmir, also known as Kasheer, and once also spelled Cashmeer, on the Indian sub-continent. Cashmere is also a fabric made in the area, from the hair of Cashmere goats.
Whose movements were scroobious and queer;
Being slender and tall, he looked over a wall,
And perceived two fat ducks of Cashmere.
-Edward Lear: “More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany, etc.” (1872), ‘Twenty-Six Nonsense Rhymes and Pictures,’ page 273
*Cashmere during the time of the author may have referred to a geographic area called Kashmir, also known as Kasheer, and once also spelled Cashmeer, on the Indian sub-continent. Cashmere is also a fabric made in the area, from the hair of Cashmere goats.
