Comic Poems

by Peter Washington (Editor)

This treasury of humorous poems brings together a sparkling constellation of witty poets–from Lord Rochester to Lewis Carroll, from Edward Lear to Ogden Nash, from Dorothy Parker to W. H. Auden–and embraces a wide range of forms, including limericks, clerihews, ballads, sonnets, and nonsense verse.

Comic Poems is studded with unforgettable classics, along with lesser-known comic gems from across the ages, from ancient Rome to modern America. Here is the immortal “How Pleasant to Know Mr. Lear” beside Noël Coward’s “Mad Dogs and Englishmen”; the incomparable “Jabberwocky” next to the famous “There was a young lady of Riga.” From Cole Porter and John Updike on love and marriage to Stevie Smith and Dorothy Parker on mortality to the ever-talented Anonymous on almost anything, the lighthearted poetry collected here ranges from the most delightful nonsense to the most sophisticated wit.

Genres: Poetry, Humor, Anthologies

256 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 2001

Reviews

[Ulysse · Rating 4 out of 5]

EPITAPH ON A VERSIFIER

In truth he might have lived a richer life:
Now here he lies, a poor writer of verses;
He always kept his wit sharp as a knife,
But never would he use it to cut purses.

ANON.

[Anna Petruk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why did the Lord give us agility
If not to avoid responsibility?

This is another poetry collection from my favorite Everyman's Library Pocket Poets series. It's comprised of classics - Lucilius, Lewis Carroll, Ogden Nash, Dorothy Parker, etc. There was some satire, some irony, some harmless jesting, and some dark humor mixed - a variety of moods, all adding up to light reading with a bite.

While I found myself chucking a number of times and found the book generally amusing, there weren't that many memorable poems. I enjoyed Ogden Nash and Dorothy Parker (who are featured heavily in the collection) the most. I haven't read them before, and now I want to.

[Stephanie Barko · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great way to grasp why Ogden Nash is such a genius with words.
As a publicist, I so admire anyone who can write short and he is a master at it.

I also learned of novelists and playwrights who I didn't know wrote poetry like John Updike and Noel Coward.

[Merel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The truth I do not stretch or shove
When I state the dog is full of love.
I’ve also found, by actual test,
A wet dog is the lovingest.

not all poems seemed to match the overall vibe, but the overall vibe was very good.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just wasn't as amused as I thought I would be.

[wonkagranny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing

[Katlyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The poems certainly fit together well in this collection, and the low rating is partially my fault. I hoped it would include more modern poems, which I prefer to the silly, and sometimes irrelevant to the current time poems found here.

[Rah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite interesting, for those truly interested in poetry this book makes its way. I think many of us heard about love poems, but what the reader finds here goes further. Amazing.