A few years back, we made some limericks (with bad rhymes contingent on odd pronunciations) based on Byzantine scholars and historical figures. Yesterday I brought them back. Here are some of ours and others’
The eminent John Tzetzes
must have had remarkable testes.
That he weighs all the same
myriad dubious claims
attests to a nice pair of hefties.
The poet and teacher Psellos
Had a lot he wanted to tell us
So he dressed up the words
Of medicine in verse
But his collections no longer compel us.
I am in love with the myriad words of the Suda
It has something for every kind of mood, uh
When I don’t know a name
Or I think some text is too tame
I use this odd fortress as shield and my tutor
Because I am a part-adolescent who lives in the internet age, I had to tweet about it.
The eminent John Tzetzes
must have had remarkable testes…"New Hobby: Dirty Limericks for Byzantine Scholarshttp://t.co/FMaovPvv8G
— sententiae antiquae (@sentantiq) April 10, 2015
I thought this might be the end, but, mirabile dictu, a twitter friend joined in:
@sentantiq The worthy physician Soranus/Found cures for conditions that pain us;/ so what a bum rap/ for that medical chap…
— Armand D'Angour (@ArmandDAngour) April 10, 2015
…rounding it out with: “that his ‘sore’-name should so entertain us”.
In my own maturity, I could not help but continue (with a little rhyming help from my friend):
The Byzantine Bishop Eustathius
lived some time after the cretaceous.
He wrote on both Homer’s poems
but never left home
and as a result his rump was curvaceous.
Any one else want to play?
[and many do answer the call….]
Continue reading “The World is Crazy: Let’s Write Limericks on Byzantine Scholars”