Famous Poem
in Famous Children Poems
In Robert Louis Stevenson's "My Bed Is A Boat," the poet playfully compares his bed to a little boat. With the help of his nurse, he gets ready for bedtime, donning his sailor's coat. As he closes his eyes, he imagines sailing away, leaving behind the world behind. Sometimes, he takes items to bed, just as sailors would bring supplies. However, when morning comes, he finds himself back in his room, with his bed acting as a steadfast vessel beside the pier. Stevenson's poem captures the imagination and whimsy of bedtime adventures in a concise and delightful manner.
My bed is like a little boat;
Nurse helps me in when I embark;
She girds me in my sailor's coat
And starts me in the dark.
My bed is like a little boat;
Nurse helps me in when I embark;
She girds me in my sailor's coat
And starts me in the dark.
At night, I go on board and say
Good night to all my friends on shore;
I shut my eyes and sail away
And see and hear no more.
And sometimes things to bed I take,
As prudent sailors have to do;
Perhaps a slice of wedding-cake,
Perhaps a toy or two.
All night across the dark we steer;
But when the day returns at last,
Safe in my room, beside the pier,
I find my vessel fast.
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