Love is a Rhythmical Art

June 14, 2017 8:36 PM

… And that’s why I’ve written Love Is a Rhythmical Art: a translation of Ovid’s entire Ars amatoria into limericks. As far as I can tell, it is the world’s first true limerepic — nearly 1,000 limericks in a row — as well as a faithful rendition of Ovid’s ancient advice for the modern world.

Sadly, the complete text is not there given, nor have I been able to discover it elsewhere. Perhaps you may be appeased by this Sexual Encounter, Narrated through Entries in the Index of Herbert Weir Smyth, (Ancient) Greek Grammar (1920).
posted by kenko (7 comments total)

Excerpt from a chat conversation I had maybe a decade and a half ago:

limeonaire (12:01:52 AM): eram eras erat eramus eratis erant
limeonaire (12:01:56 AM): that always sounds erotic to me

The index entries most-defs made me smile.
posted by limeonaire at 8:44 PM on June 14, 2017 [1 favorite]

Mm, love the limericks as well.
posted by limeonaire at 8:51 PM on June 14, 2017

my name is ovid
and wen you λαγνεία
i write some rhyming
πορνεία
now all the greeks
haf gon νυστάζων
i stay up late
i stain the σινδών
posted by lalochezia at 9:07 PM on June 14, 2017 [7 favorites]

Love is a Rhythmical Art

That's what she said...
posted by Greg_Ace at 9:18 PM on June 14, 2017 [1 favorite]

Love it. I think this makes up for the horrible Instagram poetry troll story I posted yesterday...
posted by The Toad at 10:13 PM on June 14, 2017 [1 favorite]

It may not be a true 1,000-in-a-row limerepic, but Metafilter's own #1, the quidnunc kid, has re-written the Lord of the Rings in 74 limericks (as well as a retelling of Dante in 112 limericks).
posted by JiBB at 10:55 PM on June 14, 2017 [7 favorites]

Metafilter's own #1

mathowie?

the quidnunc kid

Wait! I didn't vote for him!

(Love his LOTR though. I've read that more than once!)
posted by hippybear at 2:22 AM on June 15, 2017