Poetry and sleep belong together. The rhythm of a poem is close to the rocking of a lullaby, and many of the best-loved poems in English were written about bedtime: Eugene Field’s journeys to Shut-Eye Town, Stevenson’s nightly trip to the Land of Nod and Walter de la Mare’s moon walking the night in silver.
This collection gathers those poems, read softly and slowly. Each title below has its own page with the full poem, so you can read it aloud yourself or follow along.
Make it a ritual: the same short poem every night, such as The Land of Nod, soon becomes a signal that it is time to sleep.
Want to press play once and fall asleep? Our Long Listens are classic audiobooks for sleep: 15 to 50 minutes of stories and poems, one after another.
Press Play Once
Watch 11 classic bedtime poems together in one 25-minute compilation video. ✦ Watch on YouTube
📱 Watching on a phone? Watch the full-screen vertical version ↗
Good Places to Begin
Tap a title to read the full text and watch its read-aloud.
- SilverWalter de la Mare’s moonlit night.
- The Land of NodStevenson’s journey to the land of dreams.
- Wynken, Blynken, and NodEugene Field’s best-loved lullaby.
- The Shut-Eye TrainAll aboard for Shut-Eye Town.
- The Rock-a-By LadyPoppies full of tiny dreams.
- The Sugar-Plum TreeSweets in the garden of Shut-Eye Town.
- The Fly-Away HorseA night ride to faraway lands.
- Escape at BedtimeA sky full of stars after dark.
- The MoonThe moon shines while children sleep.
- VespersChristopher Robin says his prayers.