The Dinkey-Bird Lyrics
A made-up bird sings in the amfalula tree in the land of Wonder-Wander, where sweets grow like fruit. The poet says that whenever children laugh and play, the Dinkey-Bird is singing, and ends by sending dreams to the land across the sea.
The Dinkey-Bird
In an ocean, 'way out yonder
(As all sapient people know),
Is the land of Wonder-Wander,
Whither children love to go;
It's their playing, romping, swinging,
That give great joy to me
While the Dinkey-Bird goes singing
In the amfalula tree!
There the gum-drops grow like cherries,
And taffy's thick as peas,
Caramels you pick like berries
When, and where, and how you please;
Big red sugar-plums are clinging
To the cliffs beside that sea
Where the Dinkey-Bird is singing
In the amfalula tree.
So when children shout and scamper
And make merry all the day,
When there's naught to put a damper
To the ardor of their play;
When I hear their laughter ringing,
Then I'm sure as sure can be
That the Dinkey-Bird is singing
In the amfalula tree.
For the Dinkey-Bird's bravuras
And staccatos are so sweet,
His roulades, appoggiaturas,
And robustos so complete,
That the youth of every nation,
Be they near or far away,
Have especial delectation
In that gladsome roundelay.
Their eyes grow bright and brighter
Their lungs begin to crow,
Their hearts get light and lighter,
And their cheeks are all aglow;
For an echo cometh bringing
The news to all and me,
That the Dinkey-Bird is singing
In the amfalula tree.
I'm sure you like to go there
To see your feathered friend,
And so many goodies grow there
You would like to comprehend!
Speed, little dreams, your winging
To that land across the sea
Where the Dinkey-Bird is singing
In the amfalula tree!
Printed from https://nurseryrhymes.co/the-dinkey-bird/
- Type
- Poems for Children
- Written by
- Eugene Field
- Tune
- Sing-song and flowing, with the tree line as a refrain
- Best for ages
- 4 to 9 years
What Does The Dinkey-Bird Mean?
The Dinkey-Bird and the amfalula tree are made-up names, and the land of Wonder-Wander is an imaginary place where children love to go. Its sweets grow like fruit: gum-drops like cherries, taffy as thick as peas, caramels picked like berries, and sugar-plums clinging to the cliffs. The bird is barely described. It is mostly heard, whenever children's play is loud and happy, which suggests that the bird is really the sound of children's joy.
The poem uses grown-up music words for play. Sapient means wise, staccato means short, separate notes, a roulade is a quick run of notes sung on one syllable, delectation is delight, and a roundelay is a simple song with a refrain. Children do not need to know them to feel the sweep of the verses, and an adult can enjoy explaining a few.
History and Origin
Eugene Field (1850 to 1895) was an American newspaper writer in Chicago who wrote many poems for children. This one is in Poems of Childhood, published by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1904, nine years after his death.
Learning Activities
- Draw Wonder-Wander: draw the sweet fruits on the trees and cliffs and a bird in the amfalula tree.
- Invent the bird's song: make up the sound the Dinkey-Bird makes and sing it between verses.
- Word detectives: pick one hard word, such as roundelay, and guess its meaning before checking.
- Play and listen: run and shout for a minute, then stop and listen, as if the bird were singing.