Analysis of Limerick: There was an Old Person of Cadiz

Edward Lear 1812 (Holloway) – 1888 (Sanremo)



There was an Old Person of Cadiz,
Who was always polite to all ladies;
But in handing his daughter,
He fell into the water,
Which drowned that Old Person of Cadiz.


Scheme AABBA
Poetic Form Limerick 
Metre 111110101 111011110 1010110 1101010 111110101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 167
Words 33
Sentences 2
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 5
Lines Amount 5
Letters per line (avg) 26
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 128
Words per stanza (avg) 31
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

9 sec read
45

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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