Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe---
Sailed on a river of crystal light,
Into a sea of dew.
"Where are you going, and what do you wish?"
The old moon asked the three.
"We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beautiful sea;
Nets of silver and gold have we!"
Said Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

The old moon laughed and sang a song,
As they rocked in the wooden shoe,
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars were the herring fish
That lived in that beautiful sea---
"Now cast your nets wherever you wish---
Never afeard are we";
So cried the stars to the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

All night long their nets they threw
To the stars in the twinkling foam---
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe,
Bringing the fishermen home;
'T was all so pretty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be,
And some folks thought 't was a dream they 'd dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea---
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes,
And Nod is a little head,
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one's trundle-bed.
So shut your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be,
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rock in the misty sea,
Where the old shoe rocked the fishermen three:
Wynken,
Blynken,
And Nod.

Have you ever heard of the Sugar-Plum Tree?
'T is a marvel of great renown!
It blooms on the shore of the Lollipop sea
In the garden of Shut-Eye Town;
The fruit that it bears is so wondrously sweet
(As those who have tasted it say)
That good little children have only to eat
Of that fruit to be happy next day.

When you 've got to the tree, you would have a hard time
To capture the fruit which I sing;
The tree is so tall that no person could climb
To the boughs where the sugar-plums swing!
But up in that tree sits a chocolate cat,
And a gingerbread dog prowls below---
And this is the way you contrive to get at
Those sugar-plums tempting you so:

You say but the word to that gingerbread dog
And he barks with such terrible zest
That the chocolate cat is at once all agog,
As her swelling proportions attest.
And the chocolate cat goes cavorting around
From this leafy limb unto that,
And the sugar-plums tumble, of course, to the ground---
Hurrah for that chocolate cat!

There are marshmallows, gumdrops, and peppermint canes,
With stripings of scarlet or gold,
And you carry away of the treasure that rains
As much as your apron can hold!
So come, little child, cuddle closer to me
In your dainty white nightcap and gown,
And I 'll rock you away to that Sugar-Plum Tree
In the garden of Shut-Eye Town.

I have been asked a few times who was my favorite poet, after some thought, It really has to be Eugene Field. HIs poems stick in my head and bring a smile to my heart and face. His works are a happy memory for me and these 2 I posted are the most memorable for me. I hope you like them!

Thanks Clarrissa - you just made my Christmas - Wynken, Blynken and Nod is my favourite poem of all time and it has just lighted my heart as it always does - so thank you for sharing.

Hope you and everyone have a great new year.
Magi
xxxx

Hi Magi, This is wonderful, I never knew anyone else that enjoyed that poem. When I was young, it was the first book I had,I remember it being read to me all the time, till it was memorized.I loved the pictures in the book too. I still have it hidden away. I got a new book for my kids.To me Eugene Field's poems were/are magic! Hope you had a Great Christmas, and a wonderful New Year! xx Clarissa

Sooper-dooper piece. Just about remeber it. And the great thing is, reading it again after so long, to find it has not lost its charm.

As always, the niggle, though. I could have done without the last verse: the descent into twee.
It would be preferable, for me anyway, to have it left as a bit mysterious. And give our creative faculties chance to fill in the gaps.

True communication works when it goes both ways: the writer gives, and the reader engages and adds.

The confidence in the rhythm and rhyme scheme, not a dropped metre, not a twisted syllable! It all spells out: security, safety, trust.
Given that we can quite happily entrust ourselves to it, go into it, rest-up our waryness and weary wryness.