The Tale Of Custard The Dragon, Class 10th Poem

 

 The Tale Of Custard The Dragon, Class 10th Poem

The Tale Of Custard The Dragon

By Ogden Nash

1-Introduction

2- Stanza Wise Explanation

3- Poetic Devices

4- Word-Meaning

5- Textbook Exercises

6- Exam Practice

7- To Conclude

1-Introduction

The Tale of Custard the Dragon is a very beautiful poem written by Ogden Nash. He was an American poet. He has written this poem in ballad form. Ballad is basically a story in the form of poem or song. He is also famous for writing in free verse.

This poem is about a little girl named Belinda and her four pets. A little black kitten (Ink), A little grey mouse (Blink), A yellow dog (Mustard), A dragon (Custard). Custard the Dragon is the main character of the poem. He is described as a coward. But when a real danger comes, he shows bravery and courage. He saves everyone’s life.

2-Stanza Wise Explanation

Stanza 1

 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.

Explanation

 Belinda lived in a little White House with her four pets – A little black kitten, a little grey mouse, a little yellow dog, and a little dragon. She also had a little red colour wagon.

Stanza 2

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.

Explanation

 The name of the little black kitten was Ink and the name of the little grey mouse was Blink. The name of the little dog was mustard because its colour was as yellow as mustard. The dragon was a coward and that little girl Belinda called him custard.

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 dragon has big sharp teeth, and it has spikes on his top and it scales under the skin. In these lines his mouth is compared to a fireplace because Dragons are assumed to release fire from their mouth. His nose is compared to a chimney from there smokes come out. His toes are so sharp and pointed that they could cut anything like a small sword.

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

 In the above lines, the poet compares the bravery of all the characters. Belinda’s bravery has been compared to the bravery of a group of bears. Ink and blink, despite being so small in size, have the power to chase away Lions down the stairs. Mustard’s bravery has been compared with that often angry tiger. But custard is completely opposite as he was a coward who always demanded a safe cage.

Stanza 5

Belinda tickled him, dragon 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 touch custard lightly and cruelly. Ink, Blink and mustard made fun of custard by comparing him to a soldier. As Percival was one of the best soldier of king Arthur’s court who was known for his bravery and courage. All of them sat together in the little red wagon and made fun of custard.

Stanza 6

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.

Explanation

Belinda laughed a  lot at the dragon. And she laughed so much that it seemed that the house was shaking due to her laughter. Blink the mouse used to laughed and make a sound of weeck. Ink and mustard rudely asked the Dragons age in order to make fun of him. But the dragon cried for a nice safe cage.

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

 When all of them were busy making fun of the dragon, they heard an unpleasant sound. Mustard the dog started growling and they all looked around. Ink cried meowch and Belinda cried Ooh as they saw a pirate climbing the window of the house.

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 leg was wood;

 It was clear that the pirate meant no good.

Explanation

 Pirate appearance seemed very dangerous. He was carrying pistols in both hands and he was also carrying a small sword between his teeth. He had Black beard and his one leg was wooden. From his looks it was clear that he came to harm the people of that house.

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

Belinda face became yellow due to fear and she cried for help. All her brave pets could not help her and they ran away from there. Mustard made a huge cry and runaway. Ink ran down  to the bottom of the house and Blink ran into his hole.

Stanza 10

But up jumped custard, snorting like an engine,

 Clashed to 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 warm.

Explanation

When everyone ran away on seeing the robber, it was custard who came to rescue the Belinda. He jumped in front of the robber and made a loud noise  through his nose like an engine. He also started moving his tail producing a sound like irons is striking in a prison. With all these dangerous sounds he run after the robber like a bird Robin who catches its prey worm.

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

The robber was shocked by the Dragons reaction. He drank some wine from a container that he carried in his pocket. His container is made of silver in which drink is stored. He then fired two bullets but it didn’t hit him. And finally, custard swallowed the pirate.

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

Now Belinda hugged custard and mustard licked him lovingly. No one felt sorrow for the pirates death. Ink and Blink started dancing in joy around the dragon.

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

 Now Mustard said that he would have been as brave as custard if he had not been nervous. Following him Ink and Blink said that they would have been thrice as brave as the custard. But custard agreed and said that everybody out there was braver than him.

Stanza 14-15

Belinda still lives in her little White House, with

 Her little black kitten and her little grey mouse,

 And her little yellow dog and her little red wagon,

 And her realio,  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.

Explanation

The about two stanzas are repetition of Stanza 1 and Stanza  4. There is only one difference that stanza one shows the present condition of the house mates in the past and stanza14 and stanza 15 present their condition after the pirate incident. The situation has not been changed at all. Everything has gone back to normal with Belinda and her three brave pets that make fun of dragon.

3- Poetic Devices

•Rhyme scheme- The poem follows aabb rhyme scheme except Stanza 13 whose rhyme scheme is aabbcc

•Onomatopoeia- It is the use of the word such as the hiss or murmur that imitates the sound. 

Weeck sound made by mouse.

Meowch sound made by kitten.

• Alliteration- It is the occurrence of the same sound at the beginning of the closely connected words.

And he held in his teeth.

• Personification- It occurs when a poet gives human traits to non-living objects. It is similar to Simile and metaphor that also uses comparison.

Ink, Blink, Mustard and Custard.

These animals are given the ability to speak just like humans.

• Simile- Is the type of comparison between things or objects by using as or like.

Mouth like a fireplace

Sharp as Mustard

Belinda as brave as barrel full of bears

• Metaphor- Is comparing two unlike objects or things that have some common qualities in them.

Nose for a chimney.

4- Word-Meaning

Tale- story

Wagon- a cart

Realio- really

Trulio- truly

Sharp- intelligent

Coward- someone who lacks bravery

Mighty- powerful

Dagger- small sword

Barrel- drum

Rage- danger

Unmerciful- cruel

Giggling- laughing

Nasty- unpleasant

Pirate- robber

Winda- window

Fled- ran

Yelp- cry

Robin- a bird

Gobbled- swallowed

Embrace- to hug

Glee- happiness

5- Textbook Exercises

i-Who are the characters in the poem? List them with their pet names.

Ans- There are total six characters in the poem. 

A little black kitten,Ink

A little grey mouse, Blink

A yellow dog, Mustard

A dragon, Custard

Little girl, Belinda

And a Pirate.

ii- Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called ‘cowardly dragon'?

Ans- Custard cried for a nice safe cage because he was coward.

He is called cowardly dragon because except him, all pets are described as brave and courageous. Belinda is as brave as full of bears, Ink and Blink can chase lions and Mustard is like an angry tiger.

iii- “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful...” why?

Ans- Belinda tickled her dragon quite cruelly. She wants to amuse herself by making fun of dragon.

iv- 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?

Ans- In the poem, the poet has used a lot of poetic devices.

Simile- mouth like a fireplace.

Repetition- The repetitive use of the word ‘little’ in Stanza one.

Metaphor- Nose for a chimney.

Onomatopoeia-sound word such as ‘Weeck' and ‘meowch’.

v- Read Stanza three again to know how the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.

Or

What did Custard look like.(CBSE 2016)

Ans- Stanza three of the poem describes the physical appearance of the dragon.The dragon has big sharp teeth. He has spikes oh his top and scales underneath. His mouth is like a fireplace and a nose like a chimney. He also has daggers on his toes.

vi- Do you find ‘The Tale of Custard the Dragon' to be a serious or a light-hearted poem? Give reasons to support your answer.

Ans- The poem is a light hearted poem that is to be enjoyed by everyone. Even the pet names are rhyming. Belinda and her pets description make the poem interesting. Belinda bravery is described to be equivalent to group of bears. Ink and Blink can chase the lion. Mustard is like an angry tiger. But the dragon is described as coward. Besides this, pirate entrance makes the poem funny and enjoyable.

6- Exam Practice

I Pistol in her 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.

I-How many pistols was the pirate carrying?

•one

•two

•three

What does cutlass mean?

• A spear

• A huge sword

• A knife

• A spoon

How does the poet describe his bear?

• off-white

• black

• Mustard

• grey

What is the rhyme scheme of the given Stanza?

• aabb

• abcbc

• ababc

• ababa

II Where did Belinda live and with whom?

Ans- Belinda lived in a little white House with her four pets. She had a black kitten Ink, a grey mouse Blink, a yellow dog Mustard and a coward dragon Custard.

III- Did custard match his physical appearance?

Ans- No, he did not match his physical appearance, as he looked dangerous but in reality he was coward. He wants to live in a safe cage.

IV- ‘But Custard cried for a nice safe cage’. Who is custard? Why did he cry for a ‘nice safe cage’? (CBSE 2014)

Ans- Custard was Belinda’s pet.

He cried for a nice safe cage because of his cowardly nature.

V- Was everyone really as brave as they claimed?

Ans- In reality, Belinda and her three pets Ink, Blink and Mustard were coward. When the pirate came to her house all of them cried and became nervous. It was Custard who saved their lives by showing courage and bravery.

7- To Conclude

I hope the above article would be a great help in your upcoming exams. If any doubts you can reach me through the comment section below and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Also check my homepage for other topics related to class 10th CBSE  Board  English.

 All the very best for your upcoming exams...

Class 10th English