’Twas the Night Before Christmas (At Sea)

’Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the ship,
Not a sailor was stirring, not even a slip.
The stockings were stowed in the galley with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The crew were all nestled in hammocks below,
While dreams of safe harbors set their faces aglow.
And I in my watchcoat, with stars overhead,
Kept vigil while pondering the journey ahead.

When out on the sea there arose such a sound,
I sprang to the deck and swiftly looked ’round.
The moon on the crest of the deep rolling waves
Cast silver-lit shadows on watery graves.

And there, in the distance, a sight caught my eye,
A sleigh and eight dolphins soared into the sky.
With a skipper so merry, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.

More rapid than trade winds, his dolphins they came,
And he whistled and shouted and called them by name:
“Now Starfish! Now Marlin! Now Anchor and Reef!
On Compass! On Rudder! On Sextant and Leaf!

“To the top of the mast! To the edge of the spray!
Now dash away, dash away, dash all the way!”
As the foam of the sea when the wild squalls fly,
They leapt through the air and danced in the sky.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the deck,
The soft, merry jingle of bells at my neck.
As I turned from the helm and was spinning around,
Down the mainmast St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in oilskins, from his boots to his hood,
And his coat bore the marks of the sea, as it should.
A bundle of charts he had slung on his back,
And he looked like a sailor just back from the tack.

His eyes—they were twinkling, his dimples were merry!
His cheeks red as sunrise, his nose like a cherry.
His weather-worn face wore a salt-whitened beard,
And his laugh was as warm as the calm we all feared.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his task,
Filling stockings with trinkets from his old canvas sack.
A sextant, a spyglass, a small sailor’s log,
And biscuits and coffee, still warm from the fog.

Then laying a finger alongside his nose,
And giving a nod, to the rigging he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a call,
And away they all flew, past the mainsail so tall.

But I heard him exclaim, as he sailed out of sight,
“Fair winds to you all, and to all a good night!”