Things Fall Apart

a history of ideas - mainly my ideas

Monday, August 13, 2012

Lionel Wendt in Popular Limerick

Lionel Wendt photographed by  W.J.G Beling probably during the 1930s  in Colombo, Ceylon
(writer's private collection. All Rights Reserved)

My 93 year old grand-aunt, [Kathleen Deutrom], is a wealth of information and a walking encyclopedia in her own right. In the middle of a conversation she might suddenly break off into a  poem or verse which she remembers from her youth. Yesterday she provided me with a little gem of a limerick on Lionel Wendt (1900 - 1944), Sri Lanka's art connoisseur par excellence during the early 20th century. According to Aunty Kathleen this appeared in the papers a long time ago. My guess is that it was perhaps published during Wendt's lifetime as its tongue in cheek lyrics seem to suggest. I am not sure how the original was spelled so have taken the added liberty of writing it the way I think it may have been originally written. 

Lionel went to the cinema to witness Citizen Kane
Lionel went not only once he also went again
Lionel went on business and not on pleasure bent
I'm sure the new Olympia is glad that Lionel Wendt

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