Re: Life is but a melancholy flower

"Mark J. Tilford" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> On Tue, 2 Dec 2003 23:41:57 +0000 (UTC), Edgar De Blieck
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >
> >
> >> Not with the tune of Frere Jacques, it doesn't! 'Cauliflower' ends up
> > split
> >> over two lines whichever way you cut it. (*)
> >>
> >> It's not entirely surprising that no one rises to the challenge when
even
> >> the challenge doesn't make sense. And even if it did, it isn't remotely
> >> humorous...
> >>
> >
> > Hmm. You're not German at all, are you?
> >
> >> Danny
> >>
> >> * best I can manage is
> >> Life is but-a
> >> but-a melan-
> >> choly flower
> >> choly flower
> >>
> >> Not exactly leaping out at you, is it?
> >
> > No, but the problem isn't with the challenge, it's with your
> > misunderstanding of it!

Well, it sounds like I did get it, it just doesn't work. As others have
said, fitting a 6-syllable phrase into a 3-syllable line doesn't exactly
make the joke obvious. And I still don't think it's particularly funny...

(MJT)
> I found it works a bit better if you replace lines 3 & 4 with
> Melancho-
> ly flower

That's even worse: it requires you to put the stress on 'wer', as in 'lee
flough were', which makes it all but incomprehensible in either reading :)

Danny