Ch 18The Tale of Custard the Dragon

The Tale of Custard the Dragon

Poet: Ogden Nash (1902–1971), one of America's best-loved writers of humorous verse. He was famous for his witty rhymes, deliberately misspelt words and light-hearted view of everyday life. This poem is a "ballad" — a poem that tells a story — written in his typical playful style.

Introduction

"The Tale of Custard the Dragon" is a humorous ballad about a little girl, Belinda, and her four pets — a kitten, a mouse, a dog and a dragon. Everyone in the house boasts of being brave, while the dragon, Custard, is mocked as a coward because he keeps asking for "a nice safe cage". But when a real danger — a pirate — appears, the so-called brave ones run and hide, and it is the "cowardly" dragon who fights and swallows the pirate. Through fun and fantasy, Nash pokes gentle fun at people who show off courage in safe times but disappear in a crisis.

Stanza-wise Explanation

Stanzas 1–2

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.

The poet introduces Belinda and her household: a black kitten named Ink, a grey mouse named Blink, a yellow dog named Mustard, a little red wagon, and a "realio, trulio" (really and truly — a playful invented spelling) pet dragon named Custard. The repetition of "little" creates a cosy, storybook picture and also sets up the contrast with the huge dragon.

Stanza 3

Now the dragon was a coward, and Belinda was as brave as a barrel full of bears...

The poet describes the dragon's fierce appearance: big sharp teeth, spikes on top of him, scales underneath, a mouth like a fireplace, a chimney for a nose, and daggers on his toes. Yet, despite looking so dangerous, Custard is a coward. Belinda is said to be "as brave as a barrel full of bears", Ink and Blink can chase lions down the stairs, and Mustard is "as brave as a tiger in a rage" — but Custard only cries for "a nice safe cage".

Stanzas 4–5

Because of his timidity, everyone teases Custard. Belinda tickles him "unmerciful", and the other pets mockingly call him "Percival" (after a brave knight of King Arthur's court, to taunt him). They all laugh at him, and Blink giggles that the dragon's cowardice is a joke of the house. Their pride in their own bravery grows as they mock him.

Stanzas 6–7

Suddenly, suddenly they heard a nasty sound,
And Mustard growled, and they all looked around...
...A pirate climbing in the winda.

Suddenly danger arrives — a pirate climbs in through the window ("winda" is Nash's comic spelling to rhyme with "window/Belinda"). He carries a pistol in each hand, holds a cutlass (short sword) between his teeth, has a black beard, and one of his legs is made of wood. It is a truly frightening sight.

Stanza 8

Belinda paled, and she cried Help! Help!
But Mustard fled with a terrified yelp...

Now the truth about everyone's "bravery" is revealed. Belinda turns pale and cries for help, Mustard the dog runs away yelping in terror, Ink the kitten dives to the bottom of the house, and Blink the mouse "strategically mouseholed" — hides cleverly in his mousehole. All the boasters vanish in a moment.

Stanzas 9–10

But up jumped Custard, snorting like an engine,
Clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon...

Custard, the "coward", jumps up to fight. He snorts like an engine, clashes his tail with a sound like chains ("irons") rattling in a dungeon, and charges at the pirate "like a robin at a worm". The pirate gulps some grog (an alcoholic drink) from his pocket flagon in shock and fires two bullets, but they miss, and Custard gobbles him up, eating every bit of him.

Stanzas 11–12

Once the danger is over, everyone returns and celebrates. Belinda embraces Custard, Mustard licks him, and Ink and Blink dance gleefully around him. But their old vanity returns at once: Mustard claims he would have been twice as brave if he hadn't been "flustered", and Ink and Blink insist they would have been three times braver. Custard, humble as ever, agrees with them and says they are indeed braver than he is.

Final stanzas

The poem ends by repeating the opening lines as a refrain: Belinda still lives in her little white house with her brave pets — and Custard still cries for "a nice safe cage". The ending is ironic: the real hero of the story continues to be called the coward, and nothing changes.

Poetic Devices

• Simile: the poem is full of similes — "brave as a barrel full of bears", "brave as a tiger in a rage", "mouth like a fireplace", "snorting like an engine", "clashed his tail like irons in a dungeon", "went at the pirate like a robin at a worm".
• Repetition / Refrain: "little" is repeated in the opening stanza; the first stanza returns at the end as a refrain; "Suddenly, suddenly" adds drama.
• Rhyme and poetic licence: Nash invents comic spellings to force rhymes — "realio, trulio", "winda" (window) to rhyme with "Belinda". This deliberate misspelling is called poetic licence.
• Irony: the fierce-looking dragon is a coward, while the tiny pets boast of bravery; and the "coward" alone fights the pirate while the "brave" ones hide.
• Onomatopoeia: sound words like "growled", "yelp", "snorting", "clashed" and "giggled" bring the scenes alive.
• Imagery and hyperbole: exaggerated pictures such as chasing lions down the stairs, and the vivid description of the dragon's fireplace-mouth and dagger-toes.

Theme / Central Idea

The central idea is that true courage is proved by action, not by boasting. Those who talk the most about bravery — Belinda, Ink, Blink and Mustard — run away at the first sight of danger, while the humble Custard, who honestly admits his fear, is the only one who fights when it matters. The poem also mocks human vanity: even after being saved, the boasters claim they would have fought better, and the modest hero lets them keep their pride. Real heroes, Nash suggests, are often modest, and appearances (a fierce-looking dragon, a tiny mouse) can be deceptive.

Rhyme Scheme

The poem is a ballad written in rhyming couplets: each four-line stanza follows the scheme aabb (the first line rhymes with the second, and the third with the fourth). The regular sing-song couplets give the poem its light, comic, nursery-rhyme flavour even while it tells a story of pirates and battles.

Important Word Meanings