January 18, 2008, 07:46
Richard EnglishBob Hale
There was an old man of Cowfold
Whose face was a thing to behold
His eyes were odd sizes
His nose could win prizes
And his ears with both covered with mold
There was a young lass of Cowfold
Whose virtue was often extolled
It seemed such a waste
That she chose to be chaste
And remained in that state growing old.
I very much liked Bob's as they in true Learian tradition, especially the first. It scarcely needs saying that Bob's craftmanship shows through since there are few obvious faults with either limerick.
Bethree
I’m told that clodhoppers of old
Would herd their livestock to Cowfold
Where the girls at the inn
Served the fellas good gin
And all their cigars were hand-rolled
Nice - especially the possible double-entendres implicit in L5
My one criticism is with L2 and its stress - LiveSTOCK. Having said which, though, the stress-stretching implicit in Cowfold should make us ready to accept it, as the line wouldn't work if Cowfold were stressed concentionally. haberdasher
The West Sussex village Cowfold
Has virtues but seldom extolled...
With scarce two thousand folks [and two pubs]
When they start telling jokes
It's a marvelous sight to behold.
Haberdasher's submission appealed to my critical side. Cowfold DOES have two pubs and its population is around 2000. If I have a problem it's with the parenthetic aside (and two pubs) which, although true, could possibly have been incorporated into the body of the work.
Jerry Thomas
This student who came from Cowfold
Almost never went out in the cold;
He stayed in the dorm,
Where he felt nice and warm,
With his girlfriend, with whom he was bold.
As Limericks emerged from Cowfold
Quoth bystanders who saw them unfold,
"They might have been seen
Down around Partridge Green
But in this town they've never been told."
A farmer once went to Cowfold
Taking with him a small pot of gold.
He sought to acquire
A bovine for hire
But the sign that he found said, "Cow Sold."
Three from Jerry, all good, especially the last one, whose scansion and rhyme is exceptional - who'd have thought of rhyming Cowfold with cow sold!
Kalleh
When strolling through charming Cowfold,
I took out the ring made of gold,
And gave it to her,
Hoping she'd purr,
But the battleaxe acted all cold!
I liked Kalleh's since it exemplifies, so poignantly, the problems that men have so often with women! Even after investing substantial amounts of cash in jewellery. the poor guy still has to sleep alone! I could never mistake a Kalleh limerick; there is something about her style that always shines through. It's like Elgar's music - a couple of bars and you know who the composer is.
Wordmatic
Do you do oragami, Cowfold?
If you did, could the tale be told?
Do you linger by night
In the dim of the light?
Do your parts fold and splice, crease and hold?
Another wonderful limerick that is again especially good by virtue of its cunning double entendres. There seems to be an unstressed syllable missing from L2 but that aside it is faultless.
So difficult to decide. All are good for the reasons I have suggested but there can be only one winner and I choose the last one I have posted - Wordmatic's. Technically the limerick is near perfect and the double entendres implict in it appeal greatly to me. I would never, before today, have realised quite how sexy origami must be.
So, Wordmatic, your choice for the next location.This message has been edited. Last edited by: Richard English,