THE ROAD TO SLUMBERLAND

WYNKEN, BLYNKEN, AND NOD

DUTCH LULLABY

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 that beautiful sea-
“Now cast your nets wherever you wish,-

Never afcard 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:

The Road to Slumberland

65

'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 (1850-1895)

THE ROAD TO SLUMBERLAND

What is the road to slumber-land and when does the baby

go? The road lies straight through mother's arms when the sun

is sinking low.

He goes by the drowsy land of nod to the music of lullaby, When all wee lambs are safe in the fold, under the evening

sky.

A soft little nightgown clean and white; a face washed sweet

and fair;

A mother brushing the tangles out of the silken, golden hair. Two little tired, satiny feet, from shoe and stocking free; Two little palms together clasped at the mother's patient

knee.

Some baby words that are drowsily lisped to the tender Shep

herd's ear;

And a kiss that only a mother can place on the brow of her

baby dear.

A little round head that nestles at last close to the mother's

breast, And then the lullaby soft and low, singing the song of rest.

And closer and closer the blue-veined lids are hiding the

baby eyes, As over the road to slumber-land the dear little traveller

hius.

For this is the way, through mother's arms, all little babies

go To the beautiful city of slumber-land when the sun is sinking low.

Mary Dow Brine (18

WHEN THE SLEEPY MAN COMES

WHEN the Sleepy Man comes with the dust on his eyes,

(Oh, weary, my Dearie, so weary!) He shuts up the earth, and he opens the skies.

(So nush-a-by, weary my Dearie!)

He smiles through his fingers, and shuts up the sun;

(Oh, weary, my Dearie, so weary!) The stars that he loves he lets out one by one.

(So hush-a-by, weary my Dearie!)

He comes from the castles of Drowsy-boy Town;

(Oh, weary, my Dearie, so weary!) At the touch of his hand the tired eyelids fall down.

(So hush-a-by, weary my Dearie!)

IIe comes with a murmur of dream in his wings;

(Oh, weary, my Dearie, so weary!) And whispers of mermaids and wonderful things.

(So hush-a-by, weary my Dearie!)

Auld Daddy Darkness

67

Then the top is a burden, the bugle a bane;

(Oh, weary, my Dearie, so weary!) When one would be faring down Dream-a-way Lane.

(So hush-a-by, weary my Dearie!)

When one would be wending in Lullaby Wherry,

(Oh, weary, my Dearie, so weary!) To Sleepy Man's Castle, by Comforting Ferry. (So hush-a-by, weary my Dearie!)

Charles G. D. Roberts (1860

AULD DADDY DARKNESS

Auld Daddy Darkness creeps frae his hole,
Black as a blackamoor, blin' as a mole:
Stir the fire till it lowes, let the bairnie sit,
Auld Daddy Darkness is no wantit yit.

See him in the corners hidin' frae the licht,
See him at the window gloomin' at the nicht;
Turn

up
the

gas licht, close the shutters a', An’ Auld Daddy Darkness will flee far awa'.

Awa' to hide the birdie within its cosy nest,
Awa’ to lap the wee flooers on their mither's breast,
Awa' to loosen Gaffer Toil frae his daily ca’,
For Auld Daddy Darkness is kindly to a’.

He comes when we're weary to wean's frae oor waes,
He comes when the bairnies are getting aff their claes;
To cover them sae cosy, an' bring bonnie dreams,
So Auld Daddy Darkness is better than he seems.

Steek yer een, my wee tot, ye'll sce Daddy then;
He's in below the bed claes, to cuddle ye he's fain;
Noo nestle to his bosie, sleep and dream yer fill,
Till Wee Davie Daylicht comes keekin’owre the hill.

James Ferguson (18 ?]

WILLIE WINKIE

Wee Willie Winkie rins through the town,
Upstairs and doon stairs, in his nicht-gown,
Tirlin' at the window, cryin' at the lock,
“Are the weans in their bed?-for it's noo ten o'clock."

Hey, Willie Winkie! are ye comin' ben?
The cat's singin'gay thrums to the sleepin' hen,
The doug's speldered on the floor, and disna gie a cheep;
But here's a waukrise laddic, that winna fa' asleep.

a

Onything but sleep, ye rogue!--glowrin' like the moon,
Rattlin' in an airn jug wi' an airn spoon,
Rumblin', tumblin' roun' about, crawin' like a cock,
Skirlin' like a kenna-what-wauknin' sleepin' folk!

a

a

Hey, Willie Winkie! the wean's in a creel!
Waumblin' aff a bodie's knee like a vera eel,
Ruggin' at the cat's lug, and ravellin' a' her thrums:
Hey, Willie Winkie!-See, there he comes!

William Miller (1810-1872)

THE SANDMAN

The rosy clouds Noat overhead,

The sun is going down;
And now the sandman's gentle tread

Comes stcaling through the town.
“White sand, white sand," he softly cries,

And as he shakes his hand, Straightway there lies on babies'

eyes His gift of shining sand. Blue eyes, gray eyes,

black

eyes, and brown, As shuts the rose, they softly close, when he goes through

the town.

From sunny beaches far away

Yes, in another land-
He gathers up at break of day

His store of shining sand.