wynken, blynken and nod

bilby commented on the word wynken, blynken and nod

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

- Eugene Field, 'Wynken, Blynken, and Nod'.

November 1, 2008

sarra commented on the word wynken, blynken and nod

Wonderfully, I've just been browsing abebooks' BookSleuth forum, where this is asked after. (Already an answered query, though!)

November 2, 2008

bilby commented on the word wynken, blynken and nod

I must admit I hadn't heard it in the BW (Before Wordie) era. I think sionnach suggested it for the Triads list. The poem goes on for 4 verses, all embellished with splendidly out-of-focus seaside images.

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:

'Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed

As if it could not be;

And some folk thought 'twas a dream they'd dreamed

Of sailing that beautiful sea;

But I shall name you the fishermen three:

Wynken,

Blynken,

And Nod

etc.

November 2, 2008

yarb commented on the word wynken, blynken and nod

A childhood favourite of mine which I now read to my kids. Love this poem.

November 2, 2008

reesetee commented on the word wynken, blynken and nod

An old favorite of mine as well. :-)

November 2, 2008

frindley commented on the word wynken, blynken and nod

Oh, my favourite too! Except I discovered it as a song not a poem. I used to sing it all the time, accompanying myself on the piano forte. Unfortunately none of the recordings on iTunes (try Winken as well as Wynken) seem to use the setting I learned. But there are all sorts of options, including one that is effectively a reading superimposed on Bach's Air on the G string.

November 2, 2008

joni325 commented on the word wynken, blynken and nod

I grew up with and still have the beautifully illustrated editions of two poems by Eugene Fields. The Gingham Dog and The Calico Cat and Wynken Blynken and Nod were published by Follett and Company as part of their Read-Along series. The soft, round, and delicately colored illustrations by Helen Page are ones I continue to cherish.

November 2, 2008

yarb commented on the word wynken, blynken and nod

Amazing that I find three people here within a few hours with whom I have this in common. Two or three hundred people work in my office and I doubt three of them have so much as heard of this.

Frindley: now I remember a recording as well.

November 2, 2008

bilby commented on the word wynken, blynken and nod

You know Wordie's a special place, yarb *glows*

November 2, 2008

dontcry commented on the word wynken, blynken and nod

I LOVE the Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat! I think that's the first poem I ever learned -- right up the with "There was an Old Man with a Beard."

November 2, 2008

reesetee commented on the word wynken, blynken and nod

The gingham dog and the calico cat

Side by side on the table sat;

'T was half-past twelve, and (what do you think!)

Nor one nor t' other had slept a wink!

The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate

Appeared to know as sure as fate

There was going to be a terrible spat.

(I wasn't there; I simply state

What was told to me by the Chinese plate!)

:-D

November 3, 2008