Great Poems Limericked

In 2015, there was a brief craze of converting great poems into limericks. Over at Making Light (any of the date links will take you to it), I joined in for a couple of hours one night, and then added a little bit more to the pile the next morning. I realized today that I should put those here on my own web-log, for reasons.

#578 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 14, 2015, 11:32 PM:

Tichborne's Elegy [Tichborne] [monosyllabic redrafting 20180706]

My prime of youth’s no thing but cares,

And my corn field is choked up with tares.

Found my death in my womb.

All the earth is a tomb,

And my life’s but false hopes and mean snares.

#579 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 14, 2015, 11:38 PM:

My Last Duchess [Browning]

See? my wife’s portrait painter was skilled,

And with telling detail the work’s filled.

But her temper was such

That she smiled far too much,

So that’s why I had the dame killed.

#580 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 14, 2015, 11:51 PM:

Ariel’s Farewell [Shakespeare]

Our revels are ended. The score,

The towers, and globe, are no more.

We’re naught but the shade

Out of which dreams are made

And we round our wee lives with a snore.

#581 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 15, 2015, 12:03 AM:

Lessons of the War [Reed]

Nature’s bounty calls out to our hearts

With the lure of lewd beckoning tarts,

The Japonica twines…

But the carbine’s clip shines

For today we have naming of parts

#582 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 15, 2015, 12:14 AM:

Spoon River Anthology [Masters]

We’re the dead folk asleep on the hill,

Of our life's substance freely we spill.

Some were victims, some kind,

Some were evil defined.

All are grist for the moralist’s mill.

#583 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 15, 2015, 12:24 AM:

The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam [FitzGerald]

As the sun's rays light turrets at dawn

We’re fresh vessels, fired up to go on.

Freshly crafted and fine,

Filled with promise and wine,

Yet by night, we’re all drunk, and then gone.

#584 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 15, 2015, 12:35 AM:

To His Coy Mistress [Marvell]

Had we more time and space at our call,

I’d not mind your reluctance at all,

But you might die a maid,

And I’ll never get laid!

Best we drop this demureness and ball.

#586 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 15, 2015, 12:50 AM:

The Listeners [de la Mare]

The Traveler called out at the door

That his promise he’d kept, as he’d swore,

Till unanswered, bereft,

He grew weary and left

Just our silence behind him, no more.

#587 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 15, 2015, 12:54 AM:

Fire and Ice [Sandburg]

So some say earth will finish in ice,

While some others say fire’s just as nice.

What I know of desire

Makes me lean toward the fire,

Or perhaps some atomic device.

#598 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 15, 2015, 08:05 PM:

Jerusalem [Blake]

There once was a man who said, "Hark!

Did Jesus set foot in this park?

Did he once tread green hills

Where are now mostly mills

That are British, satanic, and dark?"

#602 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 15, 2015, 09:01 PM:

Edward [Anonymous ballad]

“O Edward, my son, do you bleed?”

“No, I just killed my hawk. …No, my steed.

Well, in truth, I killed Dad.”

“O my son! Why so bad?”

“You should know! Your damned words did I heed!”

#604 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 15, 2015, 09:09 PM:

Green Eggs and Ham [Geisel, aka Seuss]

“I am Sam! Have some green eggs and ham!”

“For your foodstuff, I don’t give a clam!

I’d not eat them here, there,

On the sea, ground, or air…

…Hm, no: wait. These are great! Thank you, Sam!”

#605 ::: Kip W ::: (view all by) ::: December 15, 2015, 09:12 PM:

Spam [Python]

Spam Spam Spam, Spam Spam Spam, Spam Spam Spam

Spam, Spam, Spam Spam Spam, wonderful Spam:

Spam Spam Spam, Spam Spam Spam

Spam Spam Glorious Spam, 

Spam Spam, Spam Spam Spam, Spam Spam Spam Spam!

.