Laurel · Edward Lear

A Book of Nonsense

Edward Lear (1812–1888) · 1846

Mixed forms · 452 lines in 2 sections

Edward Lear's limericks.

What this poem is

Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an English artist, illustrator, musician, author and poet, who is known mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limericks, a form he popularised but which term he never used.

His principal areas of work as an artist were threefold: as a draughtsman employed to make illustrations of birds and animals, making coloured drawings during his journeys (which he reworked later, sometimes as plates for his travel books) and as a minor illustrator of Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poems.

As an author, he is known principally for his popular nonsense collections of poems, songs, short stories, botanical drawings, recipes and alphabets. He also composed and published twelve musical settings of Tennyson's poetry.

Lear was born into a middle-class family in Holloway north London, the penultimate of 21 children (and youngest to survive) of Ann Clark Skerrett and Jeremiah Lear, a stockbroker formerly working for the family sugar refining business. He was raised by his eldest sister, also named Ann, 21 years his senior. Jeremiah Lear ended up defaulting to the London Stock Exchange in the economic upheaval following the Napoleonic Wars. Because of the family's now more limited finances, when he was aged four, Lear and his sister were required to leave the family home, Bowmans Lodge, and live together. Ann doted on Edward and continued to act as a mother to him until her death, when he was almost 50 years of age.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article “Edward Lear” (revision 1373911349), used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Laurel's own notes and measurements are not from Wikipedia.

Measured across the book

Across its 452 lines, 86% of stressed syllables fall on the beat (95% interval 84% to 87%). Alliteration runs at 0.79 times what shuffling the words would give (0.24 observed against 0.31 expected). 31% of the lines have a feminine ending.

Baselines and intervals are described in the methods.

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Contents

There was an Old Derry down Derry, who loved to see…anapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man with a noseanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Person of Smyrnaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man on a hillanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Chilianapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man with a gonganapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Kilkennyanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Columbia4 linesThere was an Old Man in a treeanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Lady of Chertseyanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady whose chinanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man with a flute,--anapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Portugal4 linesThere was an Old Person of Ischiaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Viennaanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man in a boatanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Budaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Moldaviaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Hurstanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Madrasanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Doveranapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Leedsanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Cadizanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of the Islesanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Basinganapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man who supposedanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person whose habitsanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of the Westanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Marseillesanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of the Wrekinanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady whose noseanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Norwayanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Apuliaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Quebec,--anapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Buteanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Philoeanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man with a pokeranapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Pragueanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Peruanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of the Northanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Troyanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Moldanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Tringanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Nepaulanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of the Nileanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of th' Abruzzianapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Calcutta4 linesThere was an Old Person of Rhodesanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of the Southanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Melroseanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of the Deeanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Luccaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Coblenzanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Bohemiaanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Corfuanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Vesuviusanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Dundeeanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Lady whose follyanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man on some rocksanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Rheimsanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Leghornanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man in a pewanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Jamaicaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man who said, "Howanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Troyanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Hullanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Duttonanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man who said, "Hush!anapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Russiaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Tyreanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Bangoranapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of the Eastanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of the Coastanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Kamschatkaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Gretnaanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man with a beardanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Berlinanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of the Westanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Cheadleanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Anerleyanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Walesanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Wellinganapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Tartary4 linesThere was an Old Man of Whitehavenanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Swedenanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Chesteranapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of the Capeanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Burtonanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Emsanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Girl of Majorcaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Pooleanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Lady of Pragueanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Parmaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Spartaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man on whose noseanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Turkeyanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Aôstaanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was a Young Person of Creteanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Clareanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Dorkinganapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Cape Hornanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an old Person of Cromeranapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of the Hagueanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Spainanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man who said, "Well!anapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man with an Owlanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man in a casementanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Person of Ewellanapaestic trimeter · 4 linesThere was an Old Man of Peruanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was an Old Man with a beardanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady whose eyesanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady of Rydeanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 linesThere was a Young Lady whose bonnetanapaestic trimeter · AABB · 4 lines

About this text

Public domain. Text from A Book of Nonsense, Project Gutenberg ebook #13646. Free to read, print, copy and reuse.

More by Edward Lear

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