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 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;

'Twas all so pretty a sail, it seemed

As if it could not be,

And some folks 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.

A was once an apple-pie,

Pidy,

Widy,

Tidy,

Pidy,

Nice insidy,

Apple-pie!

B was once a little bear,

Beary,

Wary,

Hairy,

Beary,

Taky cary,

Little bear!

C was once a little cake,

Caky,

Baky,

Maky,

Caky,

Taky caky,

Little cake!

D was once a little doll,

Dolly,

Molly,

Polly,

Nolly,

Nursy dolly,

Little doll!

E was once a little eel,

Eely,

Weely,

Peely,

Eely,

Twirly, tweely,

Little eel!

F was once a little fish,

Fishy,

Wishy,

Squishy,

Fishy,

In a dishy,

Little fish!

G was once a little goose,

Goosy,

Moosy,

Boosey,

Goosey,

Waddly-woosy,

Little goose!

H was once a little hen,

Henny,

Chenny,

Tenny,

Henny.

Eggsy-any,

Little hen?

I was once a bottle of ink

Inky,

Dinky,

Thinky,

Inky,

Blacky minky,

Bottle of ink!

J was once a jar of jam,

Jammy,

Mammy,

Clammy,

Jammy,

Sweety, swammy,

Jar of jam!

K was once a little kite,

Kity,

Whity,

Flighty,

Kity,

Out of sighty,

Little kite!

L was once a little lark,

Larky,

Marky,

Harky,

Larky,

In the parky,

Little lark!

M was once a little mouse,

Mousy,

Bousy,

Sousy,

Mousy,

In the housy,

Little mouse!

N was once a little needle,

Needly,

Tweedly,

Threedly,

Needly,

Wisky, wheedly,

Little needle!

O was once a little owl,

Owly,

Prowly,

Howly,

Owly,

Browny fowly,

Little owl!

P was once a little pump,

Pumpy,

Slumpy,

Flumpy,

Pumpy,

Dumpy, thumpy,

Little pump!

Q was once a little quail,

Quaily,

Faily,

Daily,

Quaily,

Stumpy-taily,

Little quail!

R was once a little rose,

Rosy,

Posy,

Nosy,

Rosy,

Blows-y, grows-y,

Little rose!

S was once a little shrimp,

Shrimpy,

Nimpy,

Flimpy,

Shrimpy.

Jumpy, jimpy,

Little shrimp!

Twas once a little thrush,

Thrushy,

Hushy,

Bushy,

Thrushy,

Flitty, flushy,

Little thrush!

U was once a little urn,

Urny,

Burny,

Turny,

Urny,

Bubbly, burny,

Little urn!

V was once a little vine,

Viny,

Winy,

Twiny,

Viny,

Twisty-twiny,

Little vine!

Wwas once a whale,

Whaly,

Scaly,

Shaly,

Whaly,

Tumbly-taily,

Mighty whale!

X was once a great king Xerxes,

Xerxy,

Perxy,

Turxy,

Xerxy,

Linxy, lurxy,

Great King Xerxes!

Y was once a little yew,

Yewdy,

Fewdy,

Crudy,

Yewdy,

Growdy, grewdy,

Little yew!

Z was once a piece of zinc,

Tinky,

Winky,

Blinky,

Tinky,

Tinkly minky,

Piece of zinc!