May 12 is National Limerick Day.

It is also the birthday of the British poet Edward Lear who helped popularize the form and genre of literary nonsense.

Limericks are humorous poems that are five lines long with an AABBA rhyme scheme.

The first, second, and fifth lines must rhyme, have the same verbal rhythm, and must be seven to ten syllables long. The third and fourth lines must also rhyme with each other.

There are limericks for children, limericks for adults, and limericks that would make a sailor blush.

Edward Lear published A Book of Nonsense in 1846. This volume of limericks helped popularize the form and genre of literary nonsense. Lear wrote 212 limericks, and many did not follow the strict five-line rhyme scheme.

Though they weren’t referred to by the specific term, limerick, limericks first appeared in the 11th century. Some of William Shakespeare’s poems are considered limericks. The term “limerick” is believed to be related to the town of Limerick in Ireland although limericks were especially popular in England. Some literary scholars believe the term is related to a song sung by Irish soldiers in the 1700s, “Will You Come Up to Limerick?” Many of these limericks have been preserved in folk songs.

Authors sometimes write limericks as an exercise to hone their word play skills or to relax and have fun. Famous authors such as James Joyce, Aldous Huxley, Rudyard Kipling, George Bernard Shaw, and Salman Rushdie have all penned limericks.

Do you have a favorite limerick?

After the past 18 months, I think we’re all due for a few laughs on National Limerick Day. Try writing some limericks or use the links below to share some humorous limericks with your family and friends. Enjoy!

Sources for this article:

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/limerick-examples.html

https://bookstr.com/article/21-hilarious-limericks-for-national-limerick-day/