Nobody knows for certain when the first nonsense poem was written, but this (for which many versions exist) may be it. First seen in the Elizabethan era, and often named "Hey Nonny Nonny", it's referenced in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing.
HEY nonny no!
Men are fools that wish to die!
Is ‘t not fine to dance and sing
When the bells of death do ring?
Is ‘t not fine to swim in wine,
And turn upon the toe,
And sing hey nonny no!
When the winds blow and the seas flow?
Hey nonny no!
