You are probably familiar with haikus, sonnets, and rhyming couplets, but have you ever heard of a clerihew?
July 10 is National Clerihew Day, so we are spotlighting one of our favorite ways to celebrate the Washingtonians in our collection—through poetry!
A clerihew is a whimsical four-line biographical verse in AABB rhyming structure. Lighthearted in nature, clerihews distill a person’s biography into four simple rhyming lines. The result is a quick, often satirical, summary of a person’s life, career, or achievements.
Named for its inventor, Edmund Clerihew Bentley (1875–1956), clerihews have been written throughout the 20th and 21st century, most recently finding a resurgence on Twitter.
Here’s an example of a Bentley Clerihew:
Henry the Eighth
Had a chauvinistic faith:
To leave his wife in the lurch
He started a church
Although proper clerihews have a slightly more rigid structure (i.e. the first line must end with the person’s name which makes the rhyming more challenging) and often a snarky tone, our DC History Center versions are more relaxed and celebratory.
Since the DC History Center reopened in the renovated Carnegie Library in 2019, we have been using clerihews as an educational tool for school groups. When visiting field trip groups explore the DC History Center, we ask them to write a clerihew about someone they learned about during their exploration and then share it with the group. The results are often marvelous and the perfect way to share the story and achievements of someone featured in the exhibits, Kiplinger Research Library, or Washington History magazine.
Here are some examples. While you may have never heard of some of the people featured, by the time you’ve read their poems, you’ll know more about their lives.
Christian Heurich, a German brewer of the old tradition
Whose brewery survived fire and Prohibition.
Came to DC determined not to fail
And ruled the market for lager and ale.
– Brian Q.
Andrew Carnegie, philanthropist,
With boundless wealth could not resist
Giving us libraries and civic spaces
In Washington, Pittsburgh, and other places.
– Katrina I.
Bessie Robinson owned an after-hours club,
That served as a fun neighborhood hub.
When folks of color had a chance,
They could meet at Bessie’s to drink and dance.
– Heather C.
Reginald H. Booker and the ECTC
Fought hard for residents (and the tree canopy)
Their vision for DC, for justice, not freeways
Saved DC communities, their culture and greenways.
– Flora L.
Senator John Sherman bought 121 acres,
A true community maker.
He named the new area Columbia Heights,
A residential hub that is now lively at night.
– Erica F.
William “Pop” Saunders, a Metrobus laborer turned driver,
Worked his way up to train supervisor.
Breaking barriers in transportation,
A pioneering African American in the heart of the nation!
– K & G
Aren’t those fun and informative? Here’s how you can write your own:
- Choose a subject for your clerihew. Here are some ways to get inspired:
- Washington History (available digitally to members through JSTOR, or buy a physical copy through the online store)
- Explore our DC History Timeline
- Watch the Context for Today programming and explore the additional resources on subjects including The Case for Statehood, Police Brutality, and more.
- Visit the DC History Center in person and explore the exhibits
- Make an appointment in the Kiplinger Research Library
- Think about a person’s achievements that you want to highlight.
- Write a poem that features the person’s name, their accomplishments, and uses AABB rhyming structure.
- This means the last words of first two lines (A) rhyme with each other and the last words of the last two lines (B) rhyme with each other
- Line length and meter do not matter
Share your poem so others can learn about DC history! Submit your clerihew to social@dchistory.org and it may be featured in an upcoming newsletter. Or send us your poems @DCHistory on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook using #DCHistoryPoems.
This guest post was written by Jessica Richardson Smith, the former Research Services Librarian of the DC History Center. She is now living her best life in Indiana with her husband and two dogs in a 145-year-old house. She spends her time working in museums, gardening, and weaving.