Poetry Codex

Victorian

Edward Lear

1812–1888

Edward Lear (1812–1888) was an English artist and writer who, alongside a career as a natural history and landscape painter, invented much of the English nonsense verse tradition.

His limericks, alphabets, and songs such as The Owl and the Pussy-cat and The Jumblies, collected across several Book of Nonsense volumes, delight in invented words and gentle absurdity.

Poems (263)

  1. There was an Old Derry down Derry
  2. There was an Old Man with a nose
  3. There was a Young Person of Smyrna
  4. There was an Old Man on a hill
  5. There was an Old Person of Chili
  6. There was an Old Man with a gong
  7. There was an Old Man of Kilkenny
  8. There was an Old Man of Columbia
  9. There was an Old Man in a tree
  10. There was an Old Lady of Chertsey
  11. There was a Young Lady whose chin
  12. There was an Old Man with a flute,--
  13. There was a Young Lady of Portugal
  14. There was an Old Person of Ischia
  15. There was an Old Man of Vienna
  16. There was an Old Man in a boat
  17. There was an Old Person of Buda
  18. There was an Old Man of Moldavia
  19. There was an Old Person of Hurst
  20. There was an Old Man of Madras
  21. There was an Old Person of Dover
  22. There was an Old Person of Leeds
  23. There was an Old Person of Cadiz
  24. There was an Old Man of the Isles
  25. There was an Old Person of Basing
  26. There was an Old Man who supposed
  27. There was an Old Person whose habits
  28. There was an Old Man of the West
  29. There was an Old Man of Marseilles
  30. There was an Old Man of the Wrekin
  31. There was a Young Lady whose nose
  32. There was a Young Lady of Norway
  33. There was an Old Man of Apulia
  34. There was an Old Man of Quebec,--
  35. There was a Young Lady of Bute
  36. There was an Old Person of Philoe
  37. There was an Old Man with a poker
  38. There was an Old Person of Prague
  39. There was an Old Man of Peru
  40. There was an Old Man of the North
  41. There was an Old Person of Troy
  42. There was an Old Person of Mold
  43. There was an Old Person of Tring
  44. There was an Old Man of Nepaul
  45. There was an Old Man of the Nile
  46. There was an Old Man of th' Abruzzi
  47. There was an Old Man of Calcutta
  48. There was an Old Person of Rhodes
  49. There was an Old Man of the South
  50. There was an Old Man of Melrose
  51. There was an Old Man of the Dee
  52. There was a Young Lady of Lucca
  53. There was an Old Man of Coblenz
  54. There was an Old Man of Bohemia
  55. There was an Old Man of Corfu
  56. There was an Old Man of Vesuvius
  57. There was an Old Man of Dundee
  58. There was an Old Lady whose folly
  59. There was an Old Man on some rocks
  60. There was an Old Person of Rheims
  61. There was an Old Man of Leghorn
  62. There was an Old Man in a pew
  63. There was an Old Man of Jamaica
  64. There was an Old Man who said, "How
  65. There was a Young Lady of Troy
  66. There was a Young Lady of Hull
  67. There was an Old Person of Dutton
  68. There was an Old Man who said, "Hush!
  69. There was a Young Lady of Russia
  70. There was a Young Lady of Tyre
  71. There was an Old Person of Bangor
  72. There was an Old Man of the East
  73. There was an Old Man of the Coast
  74. There was an Old Man of Kamschatka
  75. There was an Old Person of Gretna
  76. There was an Old Man with a beard
  77. There was an Old Man of Berlin
  78. There was an Old Man of the West
  79. There was an Old Person of Cheadle
  80. There was an Old Person of Anerley
  81. There was a Young Lady of Wales
  82. There was a Young Lady of Welling
  83. There was an Old Person of Tartary
  84. There was an Old Man of Whitehaven
  85. There was a Young Lady of Sweden
  86. There was an Old Person of Chester
  87. There was an Old Man of the Cape
  88. There was an Old Person of Burton
  89. There was an Old Person of Ems
  90. There was a Young Girl of Majorca
  91. There was a Young Lady of Poole
  92. There was an Old Lady of Prague
  93. There was a Young Lady of Parma
  94. There was an Old Person of Sparta
  95. There was an Old Man on whose nose
  96. There was a Young Lady of Turkey
  97. There was an Old Man of Aôsta
  98. There was a Young Person of Crete
  99. There was a Young Lady of Clare
  100. There was a Young Lady of Dorking
  101. There was an Old Man of Cape Horn
  102. There was an old Person of Cromer
  103. There was an Old Man of the Hague
  104. There was an Old Person of Spain
  105. There was an Old Man who said, "Well!
  106. There was an Old Man with an Owl
  107. There was an Old Man in a casement
  108. There was an Old Person of Ewell
  109. There was an Old Man of Peru.
  110. There was an Old Man with a beard
  111. There was a Young Lady whose eyes
  112. There was a Young Lady of Ryde
  113. There was a Young Lady whose bonnet
  114. The Owl and the Pussy-cat
  115. The Duck and the Kangaroo
  116. The Daddy Long-legs and the Fly
  117. The Jumblies
  118. The Nutcrackers and the Sugar-tongs
  119. Calico Pie
  120. Mr. and Mrs. Spikky Sparrow
  121. The Broom, the Shovel, the Poker, and the Tongs
  122. The Table and the Chair
  123. Nonsense Alphabet 1
  124. Nonsense Alphabet 2
  125. Nonsense Alphabet 3
  126. There was a young person of Bantry
  127. There was an Old Man at a Junction
  128. There was an old person of Minety
  129. There was an old man of Thermopylae
  130. There was an old person of Deal
  131. There was an old man on the Humber
  132. There was an old man in a barge
  133. There was an old man of Dunrose
  134. There was an old man of Toulouse
  135. There was an old person of Bree
  136. There was an old person of Bromley
  137. There was an old person of Shields
  138. There was an old man of Dunluce
  139. There was an old man of Dee-side
  140. There was an old person in black
  141. There was an old man of the Dargle
  142. There was an old person of Pinner
  143. There was an old person of China
  144. There was an old man in a Marsh
  145. There was an old person of Brill
  146. There was an old person of Wick
  147. There was an old man at a Station
  148. There was an old man of Three Bridges
  149. There was an old man of Hong Kong
  150. There was a young person in green
  151. There was an old person of Fife
  152. There was an old man who screamed out
  153. There was a young lady in white
  154. There was an old person of Slough
  155. There was an old person of Down
  156. There was a young person in red
  157. There was an old person of Hove
  158. There was a young person in pink
  159. There was an old lady of France
  160. There was an old person of Putney
  161. There was an old person of Loo
  162. There was an old person of Woking
  163. There was an old person of Dean
  164. There was a young lady in blue
  165. There was an old Man in a Garden
  166. There was an old person of Pisa
  167. There was an old person of Florence
  168. There was an old person of Sheen
  169. There was an old person of Ware
  170. There was a young person of Janina
  171. There was an old man of Cashmere
  172. There was an old person of Cassel
  173. There was an old person of Pett
  174. There was an old man of Spithead
  175. There was an old man on the Border
  176. There was an old man of Dumbree
  177. There was an old person of Filey
  178. There was an old man whose remorse
  179. There was an old man of Ibreem
  180. There was an old person of Wilts
  181. There was an old person of Grange
  182. There was an old person of Newry
  183. There was an old man of Dumblane
  184. There was an old man of Port Grigor
  185. There was an old man of El Hums
  186. There was an old man of West Dumpet
  187. There was an old person of Sark
  188. There was an old man whose despair
  189. There was an old person of Barnes
  190. There was an old person of Nice
  191. There was a young lady of Greenwich
  192. There was an old person of Cannes
  193. There was an old person of Ickley
  194. There was an old person of Hyde
  195. There was an old person in gray
  196. There was an old man of Ancona
  197. There was an old person of Sestri
  198. There was an old person of Blythe
  199. There was a young person of Ayr
  200. There was an old person of Rimini
  201. There is a young lady, whose nose
  202. There was an old person of Ealing
  203. There was an old man of Thames Ditton
  204. There was an old person of Bray
  205. There was a young person whose history
  206. There was an old person of Bow
  207. There was an old person of Rye
  208. There was an old person of Crowle
  209. There was an old Lady of Winchelsea
  210. There was an old man in a tree
  211. There was a young lady of Corsica
  212. There was a young lady of Firle
  213. There was an old person of Stroud
  214. There was an old man of Boulak
  215. There was an old person of Skye
  216. There was an old man of Blackheath
  217. There was an old man, who when little
  218. There was an old person of Dundalk
  219. There was an old person of Shoreham
  220. There was an old person of Bar
  221. There was a young person of Kew
  222. There was an old person of Jodd
  223. There was an old person of Bude
  224. There was an old person of Brigg
  225. There was an old man of Messina
  226. The Absolutely Abstemious Ass
  227. The Bountiful Beetle
  228. The Comfortable Confidential Cow
  229. The Dolomphious Duck
  230. The Enthusiastic Elephant
  231. The Fizzgiggious Fish
  232. The Good-natured Grey Gull
  233. The Hasty Higgeldipiggledy Hen
  234. The Inventive Indian
  235. The Judicious Jubilant Jay
  236. The Kicking Kangaroo
  237. The Lively Learned Lobster
  238. The Melodious Meritorious Mouse
  239. The Nutritious Newt
  240. The Obsequious Ornamental Ostrich
  241. The Perpendicular Purple Polly
  242. The Queer Querulous Quail
  243. The Rural Runcible Raven
  244. The Scroobious Snake
  245. The Tumultuous Tom-tommy Tortoise
  246. The Umbrageous Umbrella-maker
  247. The Visibly Vicious Vulture
  248. The Worrying Whizzing Wasp
  249. The Excellent Double-extra XX
  250. The Yonghy-Bonghy-Bo
  251. The Zigzag Zealous Zebra
  252. The Dong with a Luminous Nose
  253. The Two Old Bachelors
  254. The Pelican Chorus
  255. The Courtship of the Yonghy-Bonghy-Bò
  256. The Pobble Who Has No Toes
  257. The New Vestments
  258. Mr. and Mrs. Discobbolos
  259. The Quangle Wangle's Hat
  260. The Cummerbund
  261. The Akond of Swat
  262. Nonsense Alphabet 5
  263. Nonsense Alphabet 6

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