The Tale of Custard The Dragon By Ogden Nash
This poem is written in the style of a ballad – a song or poem that tells a story. You must be familiar with ballads that narrate tales of courage or heroism. This poem is a humorous ballad close to a parody.
Read it aloud, paying attention to the rhythm.
Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little grey mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little grey mouse, she called him Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.
Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,
And realio, trulio draggers on his toes.
Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon
At the radio, trulio, cowardly dragon.
Belinda giggled till she shook the house,
And Blink said Weeck! which is giggling for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.
Meowch! cried Ink, and ooh! cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.
Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one leg was wood;
It was clear that the pirate meant no good.
Belinda paled, and she cried Help! Help!
Bust Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.
But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm,
He went at the pirate like a robbin at a worm.
The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
He fired two bullets, but they didn’t hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.
Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,
No one mourned for his private victim.
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pirate.
But presently up spoke little dog Mustard,
I’d have been twice as brave if I hadn’t been flustered.
And up spoke Ink and up spoke Blink,
We’d have been three times as brave, we think,
And Custard said, I quite agree
That everybody is braver than me.
Belinda still lives in her white house,
With her little black kitten and her little grey mouse,
And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,
And her radio, trulio little pet dragon.
Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chase lions down the stairs,
Mustard is as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.
OGDEN NASH
The Tale of Custard The Dragon Summary
Explanation of the Poem
Stanza 1
Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
Explanation
The poem opens with the introducing the characters of the poem, namely, Belinda, a little girl who lived in a little white house with her pets and a wagon. Her pets include a black kitten, a little grey mouse, a little yellow dog and a little dragon.
Stanza 2
Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little gray mouse, she called her Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.
Explanation
Belinda had named her little black kitten as Ink and her little gray mouse was called Blink. The colour of her dog was as sharp and yellow as Mustard and her dragon was called Custard. Here, the readers are introduced to the cowardice of Custard as he was not brave and feared a lot.
Stanza 3
Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth,
And spikes on top of him and scales underneath,
Mouth like a fireplace, chimney for a nose,
And realio, trulio, daggers on his toes.
Explanation
The description of Custard’s physical appearance seems quite surprising to the readers as it has been shown as carrying all the features of a dragon that makes dragons powerful, scary and brave. It has big sharp teeth and spikes on its back that could easily scare anyone away. Custard also has the ability to spit fire which makes its mouth look like a fireplace showing his power. And his nose becomes like chimney through which the smoke comes out from the fire in his mouth. Custard’s toes are so pointed and sharp that they could cut anything like a dagger.
Stanza 4
Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears,
And Ink and Blink chased lions down the stairs,
Mustard was as brave as a tiger in a rage,
But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
Explanation
All the members of the house except Custard are very brave. Belinda’s bravery has been compared to the bravery of many bears combined together. Ink and Blink, despite being so small in size have the power to scare and chase away someone as strong as a lion. Her dog’s bravery has been compared to that of a tiger’s anger. But Custard is completely opposite to his physical description and instead of being brave, always looks for a nice safe cage.
Stanza 5
Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful,
Ink, Blink and Mustard, they rudely called him Percival,
They all sat laughing in the little red wagon
At the realio, trulio, cowardly dragon.
Explanation
Belinda used to tickle (touch) the dragon without stopping and she did it quite cruelly to make it laugh. It should be noted here that tickling is a very soft touch on body and it is related to softness. Since the dragon was such a coward, tickling worked on him. It does not work on rough bodies; hence it’s another proof of the dragon’s softness. It was rudely named as Percival by Ink, Blink and Mustard. Seeing the dragon react to the tickling made all of them laugh and they laughed in the wagon at the cowardly dragon.
Stanza 6
Belinda giggled till she shook the house,
And Blink said Week!, which is giggling for a mouse,
Ink and Mustard rudely asked his age,
When Custard cried for a nice safe cage.
Explanation
Belinda laughed a lot at the dragon, she laughed so hard that it seemed that the house is shaking due to her laughter. Blink, the mouse used to say ‘Week’, which is the giggling sound for mouse. Ink and Mustard asked dragon’s age to make fun of him as it shows that the dragon behaved like a small kid would do but he was not so small kid. Custard just wanted a nice safe cage for himself.
Stanza 7
Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around.
Meowch! cried Ink, and Ooh! cried Belinda,
For there was a pirate, climbing in the winda.
Explanation
While all of them were busy making fun of the dragon, there came a very unpleasant sound from the house. Mustard, the dog, looked around growling for the source of that sound. Ink cried ‘Meowch’ and Belinda cried ‘Ooh’ when they saw that there was a pirate climbing the window of the house to loot it.
Stanza 8
Pistol in his left hand, pistol in his right,
And he held in his teeth a cutlass bright,
His beard was black, one led was wood;
It was clear that the pirate meant no good.
Explanation
The appearance of the pirate seemed very dangerous as he was carrying many arms with him. He had a pistol in both hands and he was carrying a bright sharp blade between his teeth as well. He had black beard and a wooden led indicating that he was a tough man, who must have lost his leg in some fight or battle. His looks made it very clear to the housemates that the pirate meant to harm the people and pets living there.
Stanza 9
Belinda paled, and she cried, Help! Help!
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink strategically mouseholed.
Explanation
Looking at the pirate, Belinda became pale with fear and cried for help. All her brave pets could not help her and everyone fled from the scene. Mustard made a huge cry and ran away; Ink silently wen to the bottom of the house and blink very smartly disappeared in a mouse hole, leaving Belinda all alone in front of the pirate. Their bravery could not do them any good.
Stanza 10
But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon,
With a clatter and a clank and a jangling squirm
He went at the pirate like a robin at a worm.
Explanation
When everyone fled on seeing the pirate, it was the coward dragon, Custard who came to rescue and fought the pirate bravely. He jumped in front of the pirate and made large noises through his nose like an engine, indicating his anger. He started to move his tail and it made clattering sounds like an iron rod striking the walls of a prison in a dungeon. With all these dangerous sounds, he followed the pirate like a robin follows a worm to eat it.
Stanza 11
The pirate gaped at Belinda’s dragon,
And gulped some grog from his pocket flagon,
He fired two bullets but they didn’t hit,
And Custard gobbled him, every bit.
Explanation
Custard shocked the pirate and he took a good look at him and drank some wine from a bottle that he carried in his pocket. The pirate then took out his pistol and fired two bullets of Custard. But, he failed to hit him and Custard remained unharmed. Then Custard swallowed the whole pirate, without leaving any trace of him.
Stanza 12
Belinda embraced him, Mustard licked him,
No one mourned for his pirate victim
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pirate.
Explanation
After the Custard ate the pirate, to everyone’s surprise, there was joy all over the house. Belinda, embraced him to express gratitude for saving everyone. Mustard licked the dragon as that’s how a dog shows it love for someone. Everyone celebrated the death of the pirate and there was no grief. Ink and Blink started dancing around the dragon out of happiness.
Stanza 13
But presently up spoke little dog Mustard,
I’d have been twice as brave if I hadn’t been flustered.
And up spoke Ink and up spoke Blink,
We’d have been three times as brave, we think,
And Custard said, I quite agree
That everybody is braver than me
Explanation
It became very clear that, who is brave and who is a coward after the pirate incident. But, Mustard started to give excuses for his cowardice and said that he would have been twice as brave as Custard if he had not got nervous, when the pirate came. Ink and Blink said that they would have been thrice as brave as the dragon. They could not believe that Custard, the coward dragon, had done such a heroic act and so they started giving excuses for running away. The humble dragon accepted that he was the most coward and everyone was braver than him.
Central Idea of Poem
‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a funny poem that tells the story of a little girl Belinda and her pets. Belinda lives with her little pets, a kitten, a mouse, a dog and a dragon, in her little house. Belinda and all her pets except the dragon have been described as very brave creatures. But the dragon is such a coward, that it is always looking for the safety in a cage.
The dragon, however, surprised everyone with his heroic act of killing a pirate, who had come to Belinda’s house and meant harm to her and her pets. The pet has tried to convey a message in this simple poem ‘never’ judge a book by its cover. Dragon who is generally meek and coward shows his bravery at the right moment and saves everyone from the pirate.
Poetic Devices Used in the Poem
Simile : When comparison is made between two words using ‘like’ or ‘as’.
- Moth like a fireplace
- Belinda was as brave as a barrel
- Repetition
- And the little
- Suddenly, suddenly they heard
- Belinda paled and she cried Help! Help!
Simile
- Snorting like an engine
- Clashed his tails like irons in a dungeon
- He went at the pirate like a robin at the worm
Alliteration : Repetition of initial consonant sounds in the same line.
And he held in his teeth.
Rhyme Scheme
Every stanza of the poem has the rhyme scheme aabb.
In stanza 13, rhyme scheme is aabbcc.
Word Meanings
wagon : a carriage, a cart
realio : really (used in the poem for effect)
trulio : truly (used in the poem for effect)
spikes : sharp pointed structures on the body
scales : thin hard plates that covers the body
fireplace : the place where fire is burnt to keep the house warm
chimney : a long pipe that opens on the roof to let out the smoke released from the fireplace.
dagger : small sword
barrel : a box (usually used for keeping liquids)
chase : to follow in order to capture
rage : anger
tickle : to touch (a body part) lightly to cause laughter
unmerciful : cruel
manner rudely : not in a civil manner or mannerlessly
giggling : laughter
nasty : unpleasant
growl : the sound of growling as made by animals
pirate : dacoit, robber
winda : window
cutlass : a short sword (very sharp blade)
meant : intended
paled : become pale due to fear
terrified : horrified
yelp : cry
trickled : step down
strategically : planning
mousehold : holes made by a mouse (it is not a word but has been made into a word to fit the rhyming scheme)
snorting : huge sound made through nose
clashed : strike
dungeon : an underground prison
clatter and a clank and a jangling : sounds of two metal striking
squirm : to move in a twisted manner
robin : a bird
gaped : watch
gulped : swallowed
flagon : a flask
gobble : eat
embrace : to hug
licked : to touch with tongue
mourn : to grieve
victim : one who suffers
glee : happiness
gyrate : circular movements
flustered : got nervous
quite : completely
Questions and Answers
NCERT Solutions
Thinking about the Poem (Page 132)
Question 1 : Who are the characters in this poem? List them with their pet names.
Answers : The characters in this poem are Belinda, a little girl, and her pets: a little black kitten, a little grey mouse, a little yellow dog, a little pet dragon and a pirate.
Characters : Pet name
Kitten : Ink
Mouse : Blink
Dog : Mustard
Dragon : Custard
Question 2 : Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called ‘cowardly dragon’?
Answer : Custard cried for a nice safe cage because it was coward and was scared very easily.
It is called ‘cowardly dragon’ because everyone else in the house is very brave while the dragon is the only one, who fears a lot and looks for a nice safe cafe for himself. Belinda is as brave as a barrel full of bears, Ink and Blink can chase lions and Mustard is as brave as an angry tiger.
Question 3 : “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful….” Why?
Answer : Tickling also works on people, who are a little softer. So, Belinda tickled the dragon unmerciful as it worked a lot on him. Despite being a dragon, a tickling could disturb him and this showed his cowardice on which everyone laughed.
Question 4 : The poet has employed many poetic devices in the poem. For example “Clashed his tail like iron in a dungeon” – the poetic device here is a simile. Can you, with your partner, list some more such poetic devices used in the poem?
Answer : In the poem, “The Tale of Custard, the Dragon”, the poet has used a lot of poetic devices. Following are the devices used.
i) Simile : mouth like a fireplace.
ii) Repetition : the repetitive use of the world ‘little’ in stanza 1.
Question 5 : Read stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.
Answer : Do it yourself.
Question 6 : Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem?
Answer : They rhyme scheme of the poem is ‘aabb’.
Question 7 : Writers use words to give us a picture or image without actually saying what they mean. Can you trace some images used in the poem?
Answer : Writers always use such phrases and words that do not tell us directly about what they mean but always give us an indication of the meaning. Such words or phrases are used to trigger our own imagination in painting the picture that they mean. Use of such images in the poem are: ‘mouth like a fireplace’, ‘chimney for a nose’, ‘brave as a barrel full of bears’, ‘brave as a tiger in a rage’, ‘went at the pirate like a robin at a worm’, etc.
Question 8 : Do you find ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ to be a serious or a light-hearted poem? Give reasons to support your answer.
Answer : ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon’ is a very light and funny poem meant to be enjoyed by everyone. The way the poem has been written with a fix rhyme scheme, makes it very easy and enjoyable to read. The poet has even used wrong spelling to maintain the rhyme scheme. The features of Belinda and her pets described in the poem make it quite funny. Belinda’s bravery has been compared to a barrel full of bears, a liquid substance. All the tiny creatures such as the kitten and the mouse have been shown so brave that they can scare a lion and the dog’s bravery is like a tiger’s rage. The biggest of them all, the dragon is the only one, who has been shown as a coward and soft being, who looks for a cage for himself, which is very ironic, hence making the poem funny.
Question 9 : This poem, in ballad form, tells a story. Have you come across any such modern song or lyric that tells a story? If you know one tell it to the class. Collect such songs as a project.
Answer : Do it yourself.
Extra Questions
Extract Based Questions
Read the following extracts carefully and choose the correct option.
Question 1 :
Belinda lived in a little white house,
With a little black kitten and a little gray mouse,
And a little yellow dog and a little red wagon,
And a realio, trulio, little pet dragon.
i) Where did Belinda live?
a) In a red house
b) In a mud house
c) In a big house
d) In a white house
ii) Who lived with Belinda in White house?
a) Her parents
b) Her grandmother
c) Her four pets
d) All of those
iii) What was the colour of the wagon?
a) White
b) Red
c) Black
d) Green
iv) What is the rhyming scheme of this stanza?
a) abab
b) aaab
c) aabb
d) No rhyme
Answer : i) d) In a white house
ii) c) Her four pets
iii) b) Red
iv) c) aabb
Question 2 :
Now the name of the little black kitten was Ink,
And the little gray mouse mouse, she called her Blink,
And the little yellow dog was sharp as Mustard,
But the dragon was a coward, and she called him Custard.
i) What is the name of Belinda’s cat?
a) Black
b) Grey
c) White
d) Red
ii) What was kitten and mouse called by Belinda?
a) Wink and Twink
b) Ink and Blink
c) Chink, Blink
d) Ink and Don
iii) Which word in the stanza means ‘Scared easily’?
a) Little
b) Dragon
c) Coward
d) Sharp
iv) With what name does Belinda call her dog?
a) Custard
b) Blink
c) Yellow
d) Mustard
Answer : i) a) Black
ii) b) Ink and blink
iii) c) Coward
iv) d) Mustard
Short Questions and Answers
Question 1 : Where did Belinda live and with whom?
Answer : Belinda lived in a little white house with her four pets and a wagon. She had a black kitten named Ink, a grey mouse named Blink, a yellow dog named Mustard and a coward dragon named Custard.
Question 2 : What did Custard look like?
Answer : Custard the dragon had big sharp teeth. Custard looked really dangerous with spikes on his top and scales underneath. His mouth was like a fireplace and nose like a chimney. His toes looked like daggers. Such a creature is supposed to be very strong and ferocious.
Question 3 : Did Custard match his physical appearance?
Answer : No, Custard barely matched his appearance as he looked ferocious but he actually was a coward. He always cried for a nice and safe cage and everyone laughed at him for his cowardice.
Question 4 : Describe the bravery of everyone in the house.
Answer : Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears. Ink and Blink were brave enough to chase lions away. Mustard’s bravery was like a tiger’s rage. It was only Custard, who was a coward, everyone else was very brave.
Question 5 : Was everyone really as brave as they claimed?
Answer : Belinda and her three pets, excluding Custard, were very proud of their bravery but they were not really brave. It was only Custard, who had the courage to face the pirate as he was the real brave.
Question 6 : What did everyone do when the pirate came?
Answer : When the pirate came, Belinda cried for help and became pale with fear. Mustard ran away with a terrified cry and Ink trickled to the bottom of the house while Blink disappeared in his mouse hole. Custard jumped in front of the pirate to fight him and showed how brave it was.
Question 7 : How did Custard face the pirate?
Answer : Custard jumped in front of the pirate to fight him. He clashed his tail. The pirate fired two bullets at him but missed both of them. Then Custard gobbled whole of the pirate and left no trace of him. Custard proved that he was quite brave at this point.
Question 8 : ‘But Custard cried for a nice safe cage.’ Who is Custard? Why did he cry for a ‘nice safe cage’?
Answer : Custard is Belinda’s pet dragon. He cried for a nice safe cage because he was a coward, who feared easily and looked for comfort and safety of himself.
But at the same time he proved to be brave when he faced the pirate whose entry had made the so called brave people hide in fear.
Question 9 : How did everyone react after Custard ate the pirate?
Answer : Belinda embraced Custard because he had saved everyone by killing the pirate. Mustard licked him to show his affection while Ink and Blink started dancing around Custard out of happiness.
Question 10 : How did the other three pet boast of their bravery?
Answer : After Mustard, Ink and Blink fled on seeing the pirate, it was Custard, who fought him and killed him. The other pets soon made excuses for their cowardice and said that they would have been twice and thrice as brave as Custard.
Question 11 : Did Custard accept his cowardice and their bravery?
Answer : Yes, Custard seemed like a really humble animal as even after killing the pirate he accepted that he is a coward and everyone else is braver than him.
Long Questions and Answers
Question 1 : The dragon, Custard was considered a coward. The humble dragon proved his bravery in adversity. Analyse that certain qualities like bravery and courage are situational and spontaneous. Express your views with reference to the poem.
Answer : It is true that bravery and courage are situational and spontaneous. Custard the dragon, does not boast of his bravery as other pets of Belinda do. They boasted of their bravery and made fun of the dragon’s cowardice. But when real danger came, none of them could face the danger and hid themselves in some corner of the house.
It was only the dragon who dared to face the frightening pirate who appeared really threatening with pistols and knife. Custard, the dragon rose to the situation, showed his real bravery and gobbled up the pirate.
It was a dangerous situation and Custard behaved bravely in this situation. So we can say that qualities like bravery and courage can only be tested when someone is actually put in a dangerous situation.
Question 2 : Do you think that one should be made fun of because of their preferences and choices in life? Explain in the context of Custard, the dragon.
Answer : It is not right to make fun of anyone on the basis of their lifestyle and their choices. Custard, the dragon, always wanted comfort and safety for himself and therefore always cried for a nice safe cage. Belinda and other pets of the house made fun of him because they thought that he was a coward. Custard proved that just because he likes comfort, he is not a coward. In fact, he was the only one, who had the courage to face the pirate and gobble him up. Others were only boastful of their bravery as they all disappeared when real need arose. So no one should make fun of others without realising their strength.