I Saw Three Ships



I saw three ships come sailing in
    On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
   I saw three ships come sailing in
    On Christmas day in the morning.
   And what was in those ships all three,
    On Christmas day, on Christmas day?
   And what was in those ships all three,
    On Christmas day in the morning?
   Our Saviour Christ and his lady,
   On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
  Our Saviour Christ and his lady,
   On Christmas day in the morning.
  Pray whither sailed those ships all three,
   On Christmas day, on Christmas day?
  Pray whither sailed those ships all three,
   On Christmas day in the morning?
  O they sailed into Bethlehem,
   On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
  O they sailed into Bethlehem,
   On Christmas day in the morning.
  And all the bells on earth shall ring,
   On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
  And all the bells on earth shall ring,
   On Christmas day in the morning.

  And all the Angels in Heaven shall sing,
   On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
  And all the Angels in Heaven shall sing,
   On Christmas day in the morning.

  And all the Souls on Earth shall sing,
   On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
  And all the Souls on Earth shall sing,
   On Christmas day in the morning.

  Then let us all rejoice amain,
   On Christmas day, on Christmas day;
  Then let us all rejoice amain,
   On Christmas day in the morning.

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:10 min read
68

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABACDBDCDBDCDBDCEBECCBCC CBCC CBCC ABAC
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,352
Words 236
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 24, 4, 4, 4

Discuss the poem I Saw Three Ships with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "I Saw Three Ships" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/3403/i-saw-three-ships>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    12
    days
    3
    hours
    7
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    How may lines and syllables are in a Japanese Waka poem?
    A 15 syllables in 7 lines
    B 31 syllables in five lines
    C 50 syllables in 7 lines
    D 30 syllables in every other line