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Famous Limerick Poems by Famous Poets

These are examples of famous Limerick poems written by some of the greatest and most-well-known modern and classical poets. PoetrySoup is a great educational poetry resource of famous limerick poems. These examples illustrate what a famous limerick poem looks like and its form, scheme, or style (where appropriate).

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There was a Young Lady of Ryde

There was a Young Lady of Ryde,Whose shoe-strings were seldom untied;She purchased some clogs, and some small spotty Dogs,And frequently walked about Ryde. ...Read more of this...

There was an Old Man of Berlin

There was an Old Man of Berlin,Whose form was uncommonly thin;Till he once, by mistake, was mixed up in a cake,So they baked that Old Man of Berlin. ...Read more of this...

There was a Young Lady whose bonnet

There was a Young Lady whose bonnetCame untied when the birds sate upon it;But she said, "I don't care! all the birds in the airAre welcome to sit on my bonnet!" ...Read more of this...

There was an Old Man of Moldavia

There was an Old Man of Moldavia,Who had the most curious behavior;For while he was able, he slept on a table,That funny Old Man of Moldavia. ...Read more of this...

There was an old man of Port Grigor

There was an old man of Port Grigor,Whose actions were noted for vigour;He stood on his head till his waistcoat turned red,That eclectic old man of Port Grigor. ...Read more of this...

There was a Young Lady of Portugal

There was a Young Lady of Portugal,Whose ideas were excessively nautical;She climbed up a tree to examine the sea,But declared she would never leave Portugal. ...Read more of this...

There was an Old Man of Apulia

There was an Old Man of Apulia,Whose conduct was very peculiar;He fed twenty sons upon nothing but buns,That whimsical Man of Apulia. ...Read more of this...

There was a young lady in white

There was a young lady in white,Who looked out at the depths of the night;But the birds of the air, filled her heart with despair,And oppressed that young lady in white. ...Read more of this...

There was an old person of Ealing

There was an old person of Ealing,Who was wholly devoid of good feeling;He drove a small gig, with three Owls and a Pig,Which distressed all the people of Ealing. ...Read more of this...

There was an Old Lady of Prague

There was an Old Lady of Prague,Whose language was horribly vague;When they said, "Are these caps?" she answered, "Perhaps!"That oracular Lady of Prague. ...Read more of this...

There was an old person of Dundalk

There was an old person of Dundalk,Who tried to teach fishes to walk;When they tumbled down dead, he grew weary, and said,"I had better go back to Dundalk!" ...Read more of this...

There was an Old Man with a nose

There was an Old Man with a nose,Who said, "If you choose to supposeThat my nose is too long, you are certainly wrong!"That remarkable Man with a nose....Read more of this...

There was an Old Person of Hurst

There was an Old Person of Hurst,Who drank when he was not athirst;When they said, "You'll grow fatter!" he answered "What matter?"That globular Person of Hurst. ...Read more of this...

The Disciples

by Aleister Crowley

 "To Lionel Engers-Kennedy: to the memory of Hargrave Jennings: and
to A. C. W. G. and H. E. H."


Beneath the vine tree and the fig
Where mortal cares may not intrude,
On melon and on sucking pig
Although their brains are bright and big
Banquet the Great White Brotherhood.

Among the fountains and the trees
That fringed his garden's glowing border,
At sunset walked, and, in the...Read more of this...

There was a young lady in blue

There was a young lady in blue,Who said, "Is it you? Is it you?"When they said, "Yes, it is," she replied only, "Whizz!"That ungracious young lady in blue. ...Read more of this...

There was a young person of Ayr

There was a young person of Ayr,Whose head was remarkably square:On the top, in fine weather, she wore a gold feather;Which dazzled the people of Ayr. ...Read more of this...

There was an old person of Brill

There was an old person of Brill,Who purchased a shirt with a frill;But they said, "Don't you wish, you mayn't look like a fish,You obsequious old person of Brill?" ...Read more of this...

There was an Old Man of the Wrekin

There was an Old Man of the Wrekin,Whose shoes made a horrible creaking;But they said, "Tell us whether your shoes are of leather,Or of what, you Old Man of the Wrekin?" ...Read more of this...

There was an old person of Pinner

There was an old person of Pinner,As thin as a lath, if not thinner;They dressed him in white, and roll'd him up tight,That elastic old person of Pinner. ...Read more of this...

There Was an Old Lady Whose Folly

 There was an Old Lady whose folly
Induced her to sit in a holly:
Whereupon by a thorn
Her dress being torn,
She quickly became melancholy....Read more of this...

There Was an Old Man with a Beard

 There was an Old Man with a beard,
Who said, "It is just as I feared! --
Two Owls and a Hen, four Larks and a Wren,
Have all built their nests in my beard....Read more of this...

There was a Young Lady of Norway

There was a Young Lady of Norway,Who casually sat in a doorway;When the door squeezed her flat, she exclaimed, "What of that?"This courageous Young Lady of Norway. ...Read more of this...

There was a Young Lady of Turkey

There was a Young Lady of Turkey,Who wept when the weather was murky;When the day turned out fine, she ceased to repine,That capricious Young Lady of Turkey. ...Read more of this...

There was an old man of Thermopylae

There was an old man of Thermopylae,Who never did anything properly;But they said, "If you choose to boil eggs in your shoes,You shall never remain in Thermopylae." ...Read more of this...

There was an old man of Boulak

There was an old man of Boulak,Who sate on a Crocodile's back;But they said, "Towr'ds the night he may probably bite,Which might vex you, old man of Boulak!" ...Read more of this...

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