Analysis of Limerick: There was an Old Person of Philæ,

Edward Lear 1812 (Holloway) – 1888 (Sanremo)



There was an Old Person of Philæ,
Whose conduct was scroobious and wily;
He rushed up a Palm,
When the weather was calm,
And observed all the ruins of Philæ.


Scheme ABCCA
Poetic Form Tetractys  (60%)
Cinquain  (20%)
Metre 11111011 10111010 11101 101011 001101011
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 163
Words 32
Sentences 2
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 5
Lines Amount 5
Letters per line (avg) 24
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 121
Words per stanza (avg) 30
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

9 sec read
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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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    A poem that has no rhyme is called ________.
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