Famous Limerick Poems by Famous Poets
These are examples of famous Limerick poems written by some of the greatest and most-well-known modern and classical poets. PoetrySoup is a great educational poetry resource of famous limerick poems. These examples illustrate what a famous limerick poem looks like and its form, scheme, or style (where appropriate).
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...c world stretches out under a hawthorn tree
and burns in the rain. This is its home,
its last frail shelter. All of it—
Limerick, the Wild Geese and what went before—
falters into cadence before he sleeps:
He shuts his eyes. Darkness falls on it....Read more of this...
by
Boland, Eavan
...tersburg, Berlin, Constantinople;
I am of Adelaide, Sidney, Melbourne;
I am of London, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, Limerick;
I am of Madrid, Cadiz, Barcelona, Oporto, Lyons, Brussels, Berne, Frankfort, Stuttgart,
Turin,
Florence;
I belong in Moscow, Cracow, Warsaw—or northward in Christiania or Stockholm—or in Siberian
Irkutsk—or in some street in Iceland;
I descend upon all those cities, and rise from them again.
10
I see vapors exhaling from unexplored countries...Read more of this...
by
Whitman, Walt
...There live a great man named Joe
who was belittled by a loudmouth foe.
While his rival would taunt and tease
Joe silently bore the stings.
And then fought like gladiator in the ring....Read more of this...
by
Ali, Muhammad
...
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. ...Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...
There was a young lady in white,Who looked out at the depths of the night;But the birds of the air, filled her heart with despair,And oppressed that young lady in white. ...Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...
There was a Young Lady of Sweden,Who went by the slow train to Weedon;When they cried, "Weedon Station!" she made no observation,But thought she should go back to Sweden. ...Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...There was a young lady whose eyes,
were unique as to colour and size;
When she opened them wide,
people all turned aside,
and started away in surprise....Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...There was an Old Lady whose folly
Induced her to sit in a holly:
Whereupon by a thorn
Her dress being torn,
She quickly became melancholy....Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...
There was an old man at a Station,Who made a promiscuous oration;But they said, "Take some snuff!—You have talk'd quite enough,You afflicting old man at a Station!" ...Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...
There was an old man in a barge,Whose nose was exceedingly large;But in fishing by night, it supported a light,Which helped that old man in a barge. ...Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...
There was an Old Man in a boat,Who said, "I'm afloat! I'm afloat!"When they said, "No, you ain't!" he was ready to faint,That unhappy Old Man in a boat. ...Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...
There was an old Man in a Garden,Who always begged every one's pardon;When they asked him, "What for?" he replied, "You're a bore!And I trust you'll go out of my garden."...Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...There was an Old Man in a tree,
Who was horribly bored by a bee.
When they said "Does it buzz?"
He replied "Yes, it does!
It's a regular brute of a bee!"...Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...There was an old man of Calcutta,
Who perpetually ate bread & butter;
Till a great bit of muffin on which he was stuffing,
Choked that horrid old man of Calcutta....Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...
There was an old man of Hong Kong,Who never did anything wrong;He lay on his back, with his head in a sack,That innocuous old man of Hong Kong. ...Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...
There was an Old Man of Moldavia,Who had the most curious behavior;For while he was able, he slept on a table,That funny Old Man of Moldavia. ...Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...THERE WAS AN OLD MAN OF NEW YORK, WHO MURDERED HIMSELF WITH A FORK;
BUT NOBODY CRIED THOUGH HE VERY SOON DIED, --
FOR THAT SILLY OLD MAN OF NEW YORK....Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, "It is just as I feared! --
Two Owls and a Hen, four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard....Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...
There was an old person of Fife,Who was greatly disgusted with life;They sang him a ballad, and fed him on salad,Which cured that old person of Fife. ...Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
...
There was an Old Person of Prague,Who was suddenly seized with the plague;But they gave him some butter, which caused him to mutter,And cured that Old Person of Prague. ...Read more of this...
by
Lear, Edward
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