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5.-7. klasse Poems and limericks by Edward Lear From "More Nonsense"
 Poems and limericks by Edward Lear
 

From "More Nonsense"


Edward Lear (1812-1888)

Tekst/illustrasjoner:
Edward Lear/Edward Lear, farvelagt av Anne Schjelderup og Øyvind Olsholt
Filosofiske spørsmål:
Øyvind Olsholt
Sist oppdatert: 10. mars 2004

"More Nonsense, Pictures, Rhymes, Botany &c" was published by Robert Bush in 1872. This book contained not only limericks, but also botanic drawings to which Lear gave funny names, and a humorous alphabet in which Lear's humorous drawings and short nonsense descriptions of animals accompanied each letter.


I

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.

II

There was an old man who when little
Fell casually into a kettle;
But, growing too stout,
He could never get out,
So he passed all his life in that kettle.

III

There was a young lady, whose nose,
Continually prospers and grows;
When it grew out of sight,
She exclaimed in a fright,
'Oh! Farewell to the end of my nose!'

IV

There was an old man of Dumbree,
Who taught little owls to drink tea;
For he said, 'To eat mice,
Is not proper or nice'
That amiable man of Dumbree.

V

There was an old person of Dundalk,
Who tried to teach fishes to walk;
When they tumbled down dead,
He grew weary, and said,
'I had better go back to Dundalk!'

VI

There was an old man in a tree,
Whose whiskers were lovely to see;
But the birds of the air,
Pluck'd them perfectly bare,
To make themselves nests on that tree.


Suggested topics for philosophical discussion


  1. Extreme body parts
    Many of these limericks depict persons with unnatural body parts, for instance long noses and beards. Have you ever made a drawing of a person with extreme body parts? Can you remember why you did this? What did you want to express by drawing this? Do extreme body parts tell most about the character of the person in the drawing, or the person who made the drawing?
  2. Natural vs. unnatural
    In limerick IV there is an old man who wants to teach owls to drink tea. He thinks it is better for them to drink tea than to eat mice. But is it really better for an owl to drink tea than to eat mice? What is most natural for an owl to do? Is it sometimes better to learn "unnatural" things than to do what is (considered) natural? For humans, for animals? What is natural for you to do, and what is unnatural?
  3. Old people
    Most of the main characters in these limericks are old. Do you think there are special reasons why Lear chose old people for his rhymes? Was he trying to say something about old people in general? Or perhaps it was simply because the word "old" fits into the rhythm of the poem?
  4. Being offended
    Do you think people are offended when they read these rhymes? Are you offended by any of these rhymes? If so, why? Do you know persons that are never offended by anything? Would you like to be such a person?
 
   

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POEMS AND LIMERICKS BY EDWARD LEAR
  Biography
  The Owl and the Pussycat
  The Duck and the Kangaroo
  From "A Book of Nonsense"
From "More Nonsense"
Resources
  Edward Lear on the Internet
  More about limericks
The text with philosophical questions
Put the limerick together 1-6
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