A Conversation for Limericks
Asimov's Ground Rules for Limericks
CaptainLan Started conversation Jun 12, 2000
Many of the examples proffered in these conversations do not seem to fully qualify as limericks by my (or Isaac Asimov's) standards. (Howzatt for an appeal to authority?!?!) The great writer (and Limerist) offered only a few unarguable rules for a bit ofpoetry to be a proper limerick:
1. It MUST meet the required meter without TRYINGTOJAMACOUPLEOFEXTRA SYLLYABABBLES into a line.
2. It MUST not rely upon tortured, nonexistant personal/place names to make rhymes: "There was a tall eunuch from Zaaglap."
3. It MUST be naughty/sexy enough to be clever and funny without being puerile and merely gross.
One of his which clearly meets these test has always been one of my personal favorites is:
A lady from South Carolina
Strung fiddlestrings 'cross her vagina,
Now with proper sized cocks
What was sex became Bach's
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.
Asimov's Ground Rules for Limericks
Joppe_55 Posted Sep 19, 2000
sometimes, of course, the limericks are too pervert, or at least very filthy.
I have an example, fortunatley its in swedish, but i will translate it for all non swedes on the h2g2-net...
Swedish:
Det hände i lustgården Eden
att Eva fick se den och gned den.
"Oh Adam vad har jag gjort,
oh den växer så fort!
Det är något underligt med den.
English:
It happend in the garden of Eden
Eve saw it and rubbed it.
"Oh Adam what hav i done,
Oh it grows really fast!"
There is something strange with it.
Unfortunatley translated it becomes a not-so-very-limerick limerick
but if anyone can transform it to an proper limerick on english I would be glad.
By the way, the reason i posted this here is because i really think Isaac Asimov (may he rest in peace) is/was the greatest sci-fi writer in all the world
Asimov's Ground Rules for Limericks
GTBacchus Posted Jan 8, 2001
Regarding (the Great) Asimov and Limericks, I believe it is worthwhile to recall an anecdote he related in one of his essays that I read as a youth. He was asked (by a lady? at a dinner party?) whether he wrote limericks, didn't he? His reply: "No, Limerick is a city in southern Ireland. I'm from Russia and I write Odessas." Since the lady didn't recognize that Odessa is a city in southern Russia, she didn't get it, I seem to remember him saying.
Asimov's Ground Rules for Limericks
Jon Quixote: steaming little purple buns for tea. Posted Oct 9, 2002
He certainly was a great man. I wish I could have met him.
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