Clerihew¶
clerihew · form · validated
Four lines of irregular length rhyming AABB, the first line being the name of the person the verse describes.
Provenance¶
- Source: Edmund Clerihew Bentley, Biography for Beginners (1905)
- Attribution:
primary— a named author, work and year this catalogue stands behind - Checkability:
self— decidable from the text and its parameters alone - Attested:
author-stated— the originator set this rule down
Details¶
- Kind: restrictive
- Languages: en
- Requires:
tokens,phonemes - Deterministic: yes
Prompt hint¶
Write four uneven lines rhyming AABB whose first line is simply a person's name.
Parameters¶
| Name | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
unknown_rhyme |
string | undecidable |
What a line ending absent from the pronouncing dictionary means: leave the pair unscored (undecidable), let it satisfy the scheme (free), or fail it (strict). |
Examples¶
davy-gravy¶
en — this text satisfies the procedure.
sir humphry davy
abominated gravy
he mixed his chemicals every night
and left the lab in the pale light
Source: constructed example after Edmund Clerihew Bentley's form
unrhymed-second-couplet¶
en — this text does not satisfy the procedure.
sir humphry davy
abominated gravy
he mixed his chemicals every day
and left the lab in the pale light
Source: constructed counterexample
zwei-paarreime¶
de — this text satisfies the procedure.
der Wandrer zieht durch jenes weite Land
das Feuer brennt und wärmt die kalte Hand
der Wind bewegt die Blätter in der Nacht
der Regen fällt und niemand hat gelacht
Source: constructed example after Edmund Clerihew Bentley's form
deux-rimes-plates¶
fr — this text satisfies the procedure.
Monsieur Dupont aimait le vent
Il regardait passer le temps
Il partit un jour plein d'espoir
Et disparut dans le soir noir
Source: constructed example after Edmund Clerihew Bentley's form
deuxieme-rime-rompue¶
fr — this text does not satisfy the procedure.
Monsieur Dupont aimait le vent
Il regardait passer le temps
Il partit un jour plein d'espoir
Et disparut dans le froid gris
Source: constructed counterexample
bentley-humphry-davy-clerihew¶
en — this text satisfies the procedure.
Sir Humphry Davy
Abominated gravy.
He lived in the odium
Of having discovered sodium.
Source: E. C. Bentley, "Sir Humphry Davy", from Biography for Beginners (London, 1905) — the first clerihew ever published. Spelled "Sir Humphry" (not "Humphrey"), after the chemist's own spelling.