A year ago I commented on the fact that the French, pauvres types, seem to have only one limerick, and no-one wrote to tell me of another. Three months later I offered to email my translation of it to anyone who was interested, but no-one was, so I have to assume that this most virile of verse forms, with its anapest rhythm (which may of course be modified by the use of amphimacers) is now totally out of fashion.
However, a correspondent has just sent me a new one:
Dit Premier Ministre Blair:
L' affaire irakienne est trop chère
Et quand ma femme dit
“Ne t'inquiete – c'est la vie”
Je réponds “Non, Cherie - c'est la guerre!”
I would have liked to have credited the brilliant polyglot author of this - a former maths professor - but he has thirty years academic and business involvement in data security so naturally he wishes to remain anonymous.
3 comments:
Wikipedia quotes a French limerick from 1715.
On s'étonne ici que Caliste
Ait pris l'habit de Moliniste
Puisque cette jeune beauté
Ote à chacun sa liberté
N'est-ce pas une Janseniste?
It seemed to me that the rhythm's wobbly, but my limited French isn't good enough to do a detailed analysis.
I think that to see the funny side of this one a mere knowledge of French is not enough: you'd have to be well grounded in the religious schisms of the eighteenth century. And it's a rotten limerick.
But thank you anyway, and I am enjoying your blog.
That which does not exist should be invented!How's this for a try?
Une fille qui s'appelle Charlotte
S'habille quelquefois en culottes
Elle effrayait son chien
Mai dit "ca ne fait rien"
Quand sur le tapis il deposait une crotte!
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