THE TALE OF CUSTARD THE DRAGON

CLASS 10 - ENGLISH POEM

About the Poet

Frederic Ogden Nash is an American poet, who is famous for his light
verse. He was famous as the producer of humorous poetry. He wrote
this poem ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon” in the style of a ballad
which means a song that tells a story. Ballads narrate the tales of
courage or heroism.

Summary of the Poem

Belinda lived in a little white house, with her four pets a black kitten, a grey
mouse, a yellow dog, and a little dragon and a red wagon too. Name of the little
black kitten was Ink, the little grey mouse was Blink, and the little yellow dog was
Mustard. Bu, the dragon was a coward, and Belinda called him Custard. Custard
dragon was having big sharp teeth, and spikes on top of him and scales underneath.
His mouth was similar to a fireplace, and nose was as a chimney. Also, he had
daggers on his toes.

Belinda believed herself as brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink were able
to chase lions down the stairs. Mustard was as brave as an angry tiger. On the other
hand, Custard always acted as the weakest one. Belinda always tickled Custard
ruthlessly. Other pets sarcastically called him Percival means a knight of King
Arthur’s court who sought Holy Grail.

Whenever Custard wanted a safe cage for him, Belinda and Blink giggled to their
heart’s content. Not only this, Ink and Mustard asked him how old he was that he
was scared of every little thing.

Once, they encountered a pirate with guns in both hands and a knife between his
teeth. Seeing pirate Belinda started crying for help. Then all the animals hid. Only
Custard fought with the pirate and ate him up in his single bite. As Custard saved
everyone, all thanked him. But in the end, they realized that they used to make fun
of the dragon as he was timid. So, all of them suddenly started saying that they are
braver than him and hence could have handled the situation in a much better way.
Conclusion

Here the poet was trying to say that sometimes a timid person is an actual hero in
the toughest situations of life.

Poetic Devices used in the Poem

1. Simile: a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with

another thing of a different kind using the words as or like. e.g. “sharp as
Mustard”, “as brave as barrel full of bears”, “as brave as a tiger in a rage”,
“mouth like fireplace”, “his tale like irons in a dungeon”,

2. Metaphor: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an

object or action to which it is not literally applicable. e.g. “daggers on his
toes”, “chimney for a nose” etc.

3. Alliteration: The occurrence of the same letter or sound at the beginning of

adjacent or closely connected words. e.g. “lived in a little”, “now
the name”, “dragon was coward, and she called him Custard”, “Belinda
was as brave as barrel full of bears”, “Custard cried for a nice safe cage”,
“laughing in the little red wagon”, “she shook the house”,
“suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound”, “he held in his teeth”,
“his beard was black”, “one leg was wood” etc.

Rhyme Scheme

Every stanza in the poem has the rhyme scheme aabb.

In stanza 13, rhyme scheme is aabbcc.

QUESTION & ANSWERS

I. Answer the following questions:

1. Why did Custard ask for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called
‘cowardly dragon’?

Ans. Custard cried for a nice safe cage because he was a coward and was scared
easily. He was constantly worried about his safety.
He is called a ‘cowardly dragon’ because everyone else in the house is very brave
and he is the only one who fears a lot and looks for a nice safe cage for himself. He
looks very ferocious and strong. Unfortunately, he is not conscious of his power
and strength.

2. How did Belinda and her pets react on seeing the pirate?

Ans. Belinda and her pets were completely terrified on seeing the pirate. Belinda
became pale with fear. She started crying for help. The dog, Mustard fled with a
terrified yelp. Ink hid himself and Blink saved himself by entering a hole.

ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

1. “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful….”. Why?

2. How did Custard face the pirate differently than Belinda and her pets?