Video
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
Transcript
[0:04] Hi! I’m Heather Hernandez and I’d like to share a poem called Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. It’s by Eugene Field, who was born in St Louis, Missouri, on September 2nd in 1850. And he moved to Chicago in 1883 where he the rest of this life. He was a newspaperman, columnist, poet, humorist, and translator. He died in November of 1895 after having lived out the remainder of his life in Chicago and he has long been a favorite poet of mine.
[0:44] His poem, “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod”, that I’m going to read for you today, I first read in this book, which is “The Illustrated Treasury of Children’s Literature, which I was given when I was too small to remember how old I was when I got it.
[1:08] It’s a wonderful anthology that I’ve always enjoyed and it was published in 1955, edited by Maragaret E. Martingnoni, and “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod” has long been a very popular poem, a favorite of family- in fact, my grandmother gave me these little statues of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod that were always in my room when I was growing up.
[1:45] So I hope you enjoy the poem.
[1:53] “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod”, by Eugene Field.
[1:56] 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’ve come to fish for the herring fish that live in this beautiful sea; nets of silver and gold have me!” Said Wynken, Blynken, and Nod. The old moon laughed and sang a song as they rocked in the wooden show, and the wind that sped them all night long ruffled the waves of dew. The little stars were 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.
[2.40] 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 dreamed of sailing that beautiful sea. But I shall name you the fishermen three. Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.
[3:06] 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 the 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.
Description
A brief introduction about Eugene Field followed by a reading of his poem, "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod," a poem of three little fishermen in a beautiful, dreamy sea.
Duration
3 minutes, 34 seconds
Credit
Heather Hernandez
Date Created
04/08/2020
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