“Wynken, Blynken, and Nod” first appeared in A Little Book of Western Verse (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1889) under the title “Dutch Lullaby,” but it quickly became so popular that it was published in numerous standalone illustrated editions, beginning in the 1890s and continuing to the present day. It is arguably the most famous American lullaby poem, known to millions who could not name its author.
The poem tells the story of three fishermen — Wynken, Blynken, and Nod — who sail off in a wooden shoe on a river of crystal light into a sea of dew. They fish among the stars, casting their nets of silver and gold, until the wooden shoe comes back to earth and the fisherman are revealed to be two eyes and a head (the child who has fallen asleep). The dreamlike imagery, the musical rhythm, and the gentle revelation at the end — that the whole voyage was a dream — combine to create something close to a perfect poem of its kind.
Field’s technical skill is disguised by the poem’s apparent simplicity: the meter varies between anapestic and iambic with complete freedom, the rhyme scheme is flexible, and the refrain (“Wynken, Blynken, and Nod”) provides structural unity without rigidity. The imagery is vivid enough to fire a child’s imagination while remaining sufficiently abstract to avoid the problem of overly specific illustration. It is a poem that works equally well read aloud, sung, or read silently.
Collecting Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
Standalone illustrated editions exist in the hundreds; the most collectible include:
- Donohue, Henneberry & Co. (1890s): Early illustrated editions, cloth binding. $75–$200.
- E.P. Dutton (1908), illustrated by Fern Bisel Peat: $40–$100.
- Hastings House (1938), illustrated by Maud and Miska Petersham: $50–$125.
- Various modern illustrated editions (1960s–present): $5–$30 depending on illustrator and condition.
In A Little Book of Western Verse (first edition, 1889): $75–$200 for the complete volume.