Nonsense Songs
Lear beyond the limericks: "The Owl and the Pussy-Cat", "The Jumblies", "The Dong with a Luminous Nose".
Measured across the book
Across its 899 lines, 96% of stressed syllables fall on the beat (95% interval 95% to 97%). Alliteration runs at 1.29 times what shuffling the words would give (0.24 observed against 0.18 expected). 20% of the lines have a feminine ending.
Baselines and intervals are described in the methods.
Contents
The Owl and the Pussy-Catanapaestic trimeter · 33 linesThe Duck and the Kangarooiambic tetrameter · 40 linesThe Daddy Long-Legs and the Flyiambic tetrameter · 84 linesThe Jumbliesiambic tetrameter · 83 linesThe Nutcrackers and the Sugar-Tongsanapaestic tetrameter · ABABCDCD · 48 linesCalico Pie Iiambic trimeter · AABCCCBDDB · 10 linesCalico Pie IIanapaestic dimeter · 10 linesCalico Pie IIIanapaestic dimeter · 10 linesCalico Pie IVtrochaic tetrameter · AABBCCDDEEE · 87 linesThe Broom, the Shovel, the Poker, and the Tongs40 linesThe Table and the Chairiambic tetrameter · AABBCCDD · 40 linesChapter VII: The History of the Seven Young GeeseAABB · 5 linesChapter IX: The History of the Seven Young Guinea Pigs5 linesChapter XII: Of What Occurred Subsequentlyunrhymed · 7 linesChapter XIII: Of What Became of the Parents of the Forty-Nine Childreniambic trimeter · 397 lines
About this text
Public domain. Text from Nonsense Songs, Project Gutenberg ebook #13647. Free to read, print, copy and reuse.