First Flight - Poem No. 9 The Tale of Custard the Dragon - OGDEN NASH The Poem, Glossary, Summary, Questions, And Answers- The Poem - Thanks...
First Flight - Poem No. 9
The Tale of Custard the Dragon - OGDEN NASH
The Poem, Glossary, Summary, Questions, And Answers-
The Poem -
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| Thanks, Yash Munot |
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp,
Ink trickled down to the bottom of the household,
And little mouse Blink was 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 robin 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 pirate victim
Ink and Blink in glee did gyrate
Around the dragon that ate the pyrite.
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 little white house,
With her little black kitten and her little gray 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.
Glossary -
1. ballad - a song or poem that tells a story.
2. Parody- a piece of writing, speech, or music.
3. kitten a young cat.
4. wagon - container of a train.
5. realio - really.
6. trulio - truly.
7. Underneath - situated directly below.
8. daggers - short knives used as a weapon.
9. toes - fingers of feet.
10. tickled - a gentle touch.
11. Percival - a good knight in nature ( in Arthurian legend) a knight in King Arthur's court.
12. giggled - to laugh continuously.
13. weeck - damaged ship.
14. nasty -very bad or unpleasant.
15. growled -to make a sound to show anger.
16. meowch - the crying sound of a cat.
17. pirate - the criminal who attacks the ship.
18. Cutlass - a short sword.
19. paled - to become pale.
20. yelp - a short cry.
21. snorting - to snore.
22. dungeon - an underground prison cell.
23. clatter - knock at the door.
24. A clank - a sharp sound.
25. A jangling squirm - the sound of hard objects falling on each other.
26. gaped - to look.
27. grog - liquor.
28. flagon - liquor container.
29. gobbled -to eat quickly and noisily.
30. mourned - to feel sorrow.
31. glee - happiness.
32. Gyrate - to move in a circle.
33. flustered - confused.
Summary -
"The Tale of Custard the Dragon" is a whimsical and humorous poem written by Ogden Nash. The poem tells the story of a brave little dragon named Custard who lived with some other animals, a little girl Belinda including a fierce dog, a brave cat, and a mouse. While the other animals were brave and adventurous, Custard was timid and scared of everything. Their names are Ink, Blink, Mustard, and Custard. They always made fun of the Custard Dragon for his cowardly nature
One day, a fearsome pirate named Gobble visited the household, and the brave cat and dog hid in fear. The mouse, surprisingly, stood up to the pirate. However, much to everyone's surprise, Custard turned out to be the bravest of them all. He fearlessly faced the pirate and scared him away with a mighty roar.
The poem teaches us not to judge someone based on their appearance or reputation, as even the most unlikely of heroes can display bravery when the need arises. Custard the Dragon, despite being timid and afraid, proved himself to be a courageous and unexpected hero when it mattered the most.
Thinking about the Poem -
1. Who are the characters in the poem? List them with their pet names.
Ans - The characters in the poem are a little girl, Belinda, and her four pets including a little black kitten named Ink, a little grey mouse named Blink, a little yellow dog named Mustard, and a little dragon named Custard.
2. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called a" cowardly dragon"?
Ans - Custard cried for a nice safe cage because it was cowardly and scared of everyone around. In the house, except for the dragon, others believed that they were braver than the dragon, so they called the dragon a cowardly dragon.
3. " Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmercifully....." Why?
Ans - Although Custard was the dragon, it was timid and cowardly, so to make him a little active and brave, she tickled him, also other pets always made fun of him.
4. The poet has employed many poetic devices in the poem. For example: " Clashed his tall like iron in the dungeon "---- the poetic device here is a simile. Can you, with your partner, list some more such poetic devices used in the poem?
Ans - Other examples of poetic devices used in the poem are --
1. Mouth like a fireplace - simile.
2. Dragon's nose like a chimney - metaphor.
3. Belinda's kitten mouse and dog - personification.
4. Use of the word 'little' - repetition.
5. Reread stanza three to know how the poet describes the dragon's appearance.
Ans - The poet describes the appearance of the dragon as having big sharp teeth, spikes on top, scales underneath, a mouth-like fireplace, a chimney for a nose, and feet like a sharp knife.
6. Can you find out the rhyme scheme of two or three stanzas of the poem?
Ans - The rhyme scheme of the second and third stanzas is aabb.
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?
Ans - The following words are used in the poem to show images -
1. " Mouth like a fireplace".
2. " Chimney for a nose".
3. " As brave as a barrel full of bears".
4. "As brave as a tiger in a rage".
5. " Snorting like an engine".
6. " The pirate is like a robin at a worm".
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.
Ans - Yes, indeed, it is a light-hearted poem, and narrated in a very funny, interesting manner with a rhyme scheme wherever required. Even the characters' names used are like ink, blink, mustard, and custard. Some words are spelled wrongly to maintain the rhyme scheme of the poem, but still, it has great morale. So, we can say that it is a light-hearted poem but not a serious one.
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.
Ans -
Title: "The Ballad of Emily and James"
In a town where dreams were born,
Two souls were destined to meet,
Emily and James, ' hearts were torn,
Yet fate wove their love so sweet.
Oh, Emily and James, their love did grow,
Through trials and joys, their story unfolds,
In the tapestry of time, their love will show,
The ballad of their hearts, a tale to be told.
Emily, a fair maiden with a heart of gold,
Her laughter like a gentle breeze,
James, a wanderer with stories untold,
His eyes held secrets, keys to ancient seas.
Oh, Emily and James, their love did grow,
Through trials and joys, their story unfolds,
In the tapestry of time, their love will show,
The ballad of their hearts, a tale to be told.
They danced beneath the moon's soft glow,
In each other's arms, they found peace,
Yet shadows lurked, their love to throw,
A storm approached, threatening their release.
Oh, Emily and James, their love did grow,
Through trials and joys, their story unfolds,
In the tapestry of time, their love will show,
The ballad of their hearts, a tale to be told.
With hearts entwined, they faced the gale,
Hand in hand, they stood their ground,
Together they braved each daunting trail,
In love's embrace, the strength they found.
Oh, Emily and James, their love did grow,
Through trials and joys, their story unfolds,
In the tapestry of time, their love will show,
The ballad of their hearts, a tale to be told.
Through seasons of joy and sorrow,
They cherished each fleeting day,
As years passed, they'd always borrow,
Love's magic to light their way.
Oh, Emily and James, their love did grow,
Through trials and joys, their story unfolds,
In the tapestry of time, their love will show,
The ballad of their hearts, a tale to be told.
With hair turned silver, they'd sit by the fire,
Recalling a life they built together,
Their love, an eternal symphony, never to tire,
A bond that time could not sever.
Oh, Emily and James, their love did grow,
Through trials and joys, their story unfolds,
In the tapestry of time, their love will show,
The ballad of their hearts, a tale to be told.
And so the ballad of Emily and James,
Through the ages, its melody flies,
A testament of love that forever remains,
A story of hearts that reached for the skies.
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