I saw a ship a-sailing ..

When I was a very little girl my mother would tell me the following rhyme. I loved the way that she held me and the ease of the flow of the words. I would ask her to tell it to me over and over and eventually I was able to remember and say the nursery rhyme myself. It has always remained one of my most favourites.

 

I SAW A SHIP A-SAILING

I saw a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing on the sea;
And oh, it was a-laden
With pretty things for thee!

There were comfits in the cabin,
And apples in the hold;
The sails were made of silk,
And the masts were made of gold.

The four and twenty sailors,
That stood between the decks,
Were four and twenty white mice,
With chains about their necks.

The captain was a duck,
With a packet on his back;
And when the ship began to move,
The captain said, "Quack, Quack!"

Anon

 

A ship’s wheel