Over the many centuries of the existence of poetry, many well-established poetic forms have been formed. These are such forms as sonnet, triolette, French ballad and many others, where a certain number of lines and a characteristic rhyme scheme are assumed. These forms include limerick.
Poetic form
The limerick form appeared in the British Isles. It is a poem of only five lines. Anapest is usually used, and with a different foot. Odd lines are written in three-stop size, even lines - in two-stop size. Sometimes there are limericks written in other three-part sizes, that is, dactyl or amphibrachium. Limerick has a pretty rigid rhyme scheme - AABBA. Moreover, in the strictest version, the first and fifth lines must have exactly the same endings.
Rhymed nonsense
Limerick differs from other poetic forms not only in rhyme and rhythm. It also has semantic features. This genre of poetry is sometimes called "rhymed nonsense." In limerick, combinations of the most unexpected images, concepts and actions are allowed. This creates a humorous effect.
There is always a hero in the poem. He is named on the first line and indicated where he lives. In the second line, the author describes what his character did, and in the other three, what happened as a result. As a rule, the result is funny and unexpected.
Limerick history
The date of birth of the limerick is known more or less precisely. This is 1896, when the first collection of such poems appeared. According to one legend, similar songs were sung by Irish soldiers from a city called Limerick. However, there is another version of the origin of the name. At parties in the English countryside, a song-game was popular, like ditties, the chorus of which was the phrase "Will you go to Limerick?" The song was also similar in form to a modern limerick. Verses were usually composed on the spot, they told about funny or even completely fantastic cases. Sometimes these were teasers in which the audience was ridiculed.
Notable masters of the genre
The most recognized master of limerick is the English poet Edward Lear. It was translated into Russian quite a lot. The most popular are the translations of Mark Freidkin and Grigory Kruzhkov. According to Kruzhkov, Lear's limericks are not entirely comic works. In them, one can find also echoes with other poets, and layers of meaning that are imperceptible at first glance. The famous mathematician, author of "Alice in Wonderland" Lewis Carroll was also a master of limerick. Other English poets also paid tribute to this genre.
Limerick in Russia
In recent years, limerick has become an extremely popular poetic form in Russia. Brevity, capacity, the ability to evoke unexpected associations attracted the attention of famous Russian poets. This form is loved by Igor Irteniev, Olga Arefieva, Anatoly Belkin, Sergey Shorgin and many others. Sergey Shorgin also owns excellent translations of limericks by English authors. There are authors who work exclusively in this genre.