THE TALE OF CUSTARD THE DRAGON (First Flight)

by Ogden Nash 

ABOUT THE POET

Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse, of which he wrote over 500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyming schemes, he was declared the country's best-known producer of humorous poetry.

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 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 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! 

But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp, 

Ink trickled down to 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 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 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 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. 

1. Percival (1855–1916), American astronomer. Lowell inferred the existence of a ninth planet beyond Neptune, and when it was eventually discovered in 1930 it was given the name Pluto, with a symbol that also included his initials.
2. Custard - name of a sweet dessert.
3. Dagger - a small sword.
4. Clatter, clank - making an unusual sound.
5. Jangling - to ring or vibrate (a word that denotes sound)
6. Squirm - to twist
7. snorting - to snore, to make a grunting sound.
8. gaped - stare at with one eyes wide open
9. gulped - swallowed
10. grog - to drink alcohol
11. flagon - a container in which drink is kept. ( a flagon of beer)
12. glee - (a noun ) great delight
13. gyrate - to move rapidly or dance wildly.
14. Flustered - agitated or confused.

Poetic devices used.

• Mouth like a fire place is a simile.
• Clashed his tail like iron in a dungeon is a simile.
• Oxymoron: In this poem, the poet uses the device of an oxymoron when he writes the phrase ‘pet dragon’. We know that dragons are dangerous creatures, and therefore, cannot be kept as pets.

1. Why did Custard cry for a nice safe cage? Why is the dragon called “cowardly dragon”?

Custard cried for a nice safe cage because it was a 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 cage 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. 

2. “Belinda tickled him, she tickled him unmerciful...” Why?

Tickling always 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. 

3. How does the poet describes the appearance of the dragon.
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.

4. 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?

Use of images in the poem are the following: ‘mouth like a fire place’, ‘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. 

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

The Tale of Custard the Dragon is a light-hearted poem. As we can see that, the names of all the pets are funny. They are rhyming with the poem. The kitten and the mouse are known for their bravery and are compared to a lion. While the dragon which is a brave and majestic creature is known for its cowardice. But when the pirate shows up at their house all the pets hide themselves and the dragon saves everyone. Eventually, the other pets again boast of their bravery and the dragon accepts his cowardice. 

6. 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

Candle In The Wind by Elton John

Singer, songwriter, composer and icon Elton John was born on March 25, 1947, England. John, captivated by the sounds of early rock and roll, wanted to pursue a career in pop music. And much to his father's dismay, John dropped out of school at 17 to follow his dream.

"Candle in the Wind" is a threnody (a sad song to lament) with music by Elton John and lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It was originally written in 1973, in honor of Marilyn Monroe, who had died 11 years earlier. In 1997, John performed a rewritten version of the song, "Candle in the Wind 1997," as a tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Lyricist: Bernie Taupin
{this is a ballad which is self-explanatory}

Goodbye Norma Jean

Though I never knew you at all

You had the grace to hold yourself

While those around you crawled

They crawled out of the woodwork

And they whispered into your brain

They set you on the treadmill

And they made you change your name 

And it seems to me you lived your life

Like a candle in the wind

Never knowing who to cling to

When the rain set in

And I would have liked to have known you 

But I was just a kid

Your candle burned out long before

Your legend ever did 

Loneliness was tough

The toughest role you ever played

Hollywood created a superstar

And pain was the price you paid

Even when you died

Oh the press still hounded you

All the papers had to say

Was that Marilyn was found in the nude 

And it seems to me you lived your life

Like a candle in the wind. 

7. Describe the irony in the poem.

The generally meek and cowardly dragon named Custard is the one who saves the day. Even though his longing for a safe cage has been mocked all through the poem, the moment that Custard sees the pirate, he sheds all his cowardice and gobbles the pirate up at one go. In the end, Custard emerges as a brave animal. 

8. What is the theme of the poem.

The theme of the poem is that everyone has his own capabilities and should never be judged on the basis of his appearance. In the poem, Belinda and all pets she owns boast about their bravery. Belinda is as strong as barrel full of bears, Ink (the kitten)and Blink ( the mouse)were brave and fearless enough to chase down lions down the stairs and Mustard (the dog )considered itself as brave as an angry tiger. 

However Custard(the dragon) never boasted about its might and power and instead always cried for nice and safe cage. Hence Belinda and all her pets used to make joke of Custard. They would tease him mercilessly and call him bad names. But Custard never reacted and rather accepted what they said. 

But, when the pirate attacks the house of Belinda, all the so-called brave animals run away to save their lives though Belinda keeps crying for help. At this time, Custard comes forward at once and faces the pirate. The pirate tries to kill him by firing bullets. However they do not hit him and Custard eats him up. 

The story tells us that we should never judge a person on the basis of his looks or what others say about him. Every person is unique and capable in his own way.

Click for the Chapter included in Unit 9 of First Flight