Now, once there was a Jewish man,
and Jonah was his name;
got swallowed by a big belue—
it was his claim to fame.
Three days and nights he lived within
the belly of the fish;
thanks to his heartfelt prayers, his God
then granted him his wish.
The creature to a beach did swim,
led by a mighty hand,
and vomited the preacher up
right there upon the sand.
The moral to this tale is clear;
whales don't like human food.
But even so, I'd stay well clear
when they're in a foul mood.
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Author Notes
Today's word: belue (n.) a great beast or sea monster; a whale.
My much-treasured Christmas present for 2017 is a book by Paul Anthony Jones: "The cabinet of linguistic curiosities". Each page contains a descriptive story about some obscure or archaic word. It occurred to me it would be a fun exercise to try and write, each day, a poem featuring the "word of the day" from the book.
Thanks for reading.
Image: Jonah and the Whale, Pieter Lastman, 1621 (public domain).
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