Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

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For Blinken, see: Meir Blinken and Alan Blinken.

A statue of Wynken, Blynken and Nod located in Washington Park, Denver

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod is a popular poem for children written by Denver journalist Eugene Field on March 9, 1889. The original title was Dutch Lullaby.

The poem is a fantasy bed-time story of three fishermen sailing and fishing in the stars. Their boat is a wooden shoe. The fishermen symbolize a sleepy child's blinking eyes and nodding head.

[edit] Inspired works

Disney made an 8 minute cartoon in 1938 which stylized the fishermen of the poem as three pajama-clad children playing among the stars.

There are two statues by Mabel Landrum Torrey commemorating the poem: after the original sculpture was exhibited to critical acclaim at the Art Institute of Chicago, Torrey presented her sculpture to Denver Mayor Robert W. Speer who commissioned a marble version in 1918. This is currently in Washington Park, Denver, Colorado, USA. A bronze copy was dedicated on September 23 1938 in memory of Elizabeth Cameron Bailey and resides in a fountain on the Green in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania.

Ethelbert Woodbridge Nevin the American pianist and composer wrote a piano setting for Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.

In 1971, Weston Woods made a cartoon based on the poem.

Donovan set "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" to music on his 1971 children's album H.M.S. Donovan. He recorded another version with the same melody for his 2002 children's album Pied Piper.