Analysis of Limerick: There was an Old Man of Vienna

Edward Lear 1812 (Holloway) – 1888 (Sanremo)



There was an Old Man of Vienna,
Who lived upon Tincture of Senna;
When that did not agree,
He took Camomile Tea,
That nasty Old Man of Vienna.


Scheme AABBA
Poetic Form Limerick 
Metre 111111010 110110110 111101 1111 110111010
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 146
Words 30
Sentences 2
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 5
Lines Amount 5
Letters per line (avg) 22
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 110
Words per stanza (avg) 28
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

9 sec read
125

Edward Lear

Edward Lear was an English artist, illustrator, author and poet, and is known now mostly for his literary nonsense in poetry and prose and especially his limericks, a form he popularised. more…

All Edward Lear poems | Edward Lear Books

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