Limerick: a brief comic poem consisting of an ictosyllabic four-beat four-line stanza in triple measure rhyming
a a (b)b a(where
(b)indicates internal rhyme), in which all but the third line have silent final beats (see isoictic). Line three is normally printed as two lines:
A macho young cowboy named Tex Was arraigned for exposing his sex; But the judge, with a snort, Threw the case out of court,For non curat de minimis lex.* (*Latin: “the law does not concern itself with trifles [lit. ‘very small things’]”)
A macho young cowboy named Tex Was arraigned for exposing his sex; But the judge, with a snort, Threw the case out of court,For
non curat de minimis lex.* (*Latin: “the law does not concern itself with trifles [lit. ‘very small things’]”)
The form
131 words
Citation: Groves, Peter Lewis. "Limerick". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 June 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=5526, accessed 24 November 2024.]
