Featured Poem: Wynken, Blynken, and Nod by Eugene Field

We had a wonderful time with City of Readers and Beanstalk at Anytime is Storytime across Liverpool yesterday, as part of the Read On Get On campaign. The day was a city-wide celebration of reading for pleasure for children and families, encouraging a love of books early in life. There were lots of great stories shared and lots of reading fun had on the Dazzle Ferry, at Waterstones in Liverpool One and a range of green spaces around the city, including Croxteth Hall and Walled Gardens, Isla Gladstone Conservatory at Stanley Park and the L15 Community Gardens, Garmoyle Road.

As well as the wealth of brilliant literature available, children's poetry is also a fantastic source to encourage imagination, telling fantastical stories in a short form. This week's Featured Poem is a classic, and will keep little ones and big kids alike entertained.

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.

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 the beautiful sea.
“Now cast your nets wherever you wish,—
Never afraid 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:
‘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.

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.

Eugene Field

To see all the fun from Anytime is Storytime, see the @LivCityReaders Twitter.