Clerihews are a delightful form of light verse, known for their quirky humor and biographical subject matter. Invented by Edmund Clerihew Bentley, these four-line poems, or quatrains, follow an aabb rhyme scheme and often feature irregular rhythms and intentionally clumsy rhymes. The first line typically ends with the name of the person being described, setting the stage for the gentle mockery or surprising observation that follows.
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The Birth of the Clerihew
Bentley introduced the clerihew in his 1905 book Biography for Beginners, later expanding his collection in More Biography (1929) and Baseless Biography (1939). The humor of the clerihew lies in its deliberate awkwardness. The rhythm can be stumbling, the rhymes forced, and the biographical details often off-the-mark or entirely irrelevant, creating a sense of charming ineptitude.
Clerihew Characteristics
Clerihews are typically composed of two rhyming couplets, with the subject’s name usually appearing at the end of the first line. The number of accents per line is irregular, and one line is often extended for humorous effect. The awkward rhymes contribute significantly to the clerihew’s distinctive charm.
Examples of Clerihews
Bentley’s clerihew about Erasmus exemplifies the form’s playful spirit:
After dinner, Erasmus
Told Colet not to be “blas’mous”
Which Colet, with some heat
Requested him to repeat.
Another classic example is Bentley’s clerihew about Aeschylus:
“Steady the Greeks!” shouted Aeschylus.
“We won’t let such dogs as these kill us!”
Nothing, he thought, could be bizarrer than
The Persians winning at Marathon.
Bentley also penned this clerihew about Cervantes:
The people of Spain think Cervantes
Equal to half-a-dozen Dantes:
An opinion resented most bitterly
By the people of Italy.
Clerihew Legacy
The clerihew form, though seemingly simple, has proven remarkably enduring. Distinguished figures like Sir Francis Meynell, W.H. Auden, and Clifton Fadiman have all contributed to the clerihew canon, demonstrating the form’s appeal to serious literary minds as well as casual versifiers. The clerihew remains a testament to the power of wit and brevity in poetry.
Writing Your Own Clerihews
The accessible nature of the clerihew makes it an ideal form for aspiring poets to experiment with. Try your hand at crafting your own clerihews, focusing on a historical figure, a contemporary celebrity, or even a friend or family member. Embrace the awkward rhymes and unexpected twists, and you’ll discover the unique joy of creating these whimsical verses.