Introduction
CBSE NCERT Notes for Class 10 English (Poem) Chapter 10 – The Tale of Custard the Dragon
Chapter 10 of CBSE’s English First Flight textbook for Class 10 features a poem titled “The Tale of Custard the Dragon.” Ogden Nash wrote this poem in the manner of a ballad, which is narrative in nature. Ballads are composed to tell stories of bravery or valour. Students can get a synopsis and notes for CBSE English First Flight The Tale of Custard the Dragon Poem in this section. Students will have a better understanding of the poem by reading the English class 10 poetry explanation notes. They readily comprehend the poet’s context and meaning. Additionally, students may refer to these summary notes throughout the test for rapid review.
CBSE Class 10 English notes will assist students in studying the topic thoroughly and clearly.
These CBSE Class 10 English notes were written by subject experts who made the study material very basic, both in terms of language and format.
Summary of The Poem
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
It was a little white house with four pets: a little black kitten, a little grey mouse, a little yellow dog, and a little dragon. Belinda lived there with her four pets. It was also red. In the last line of the stanza, the poet uses the words “reolio” and “trulio” to describe the little dragon, which mean “really” and “truly.”
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
They were called Ink and Blink. A dog named Mustard because its colour was as sharp and yellow as mustard was named after it. People called the dragon Custard because he was a coward.
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
Big, sharp teeth. Spikes on the top of the dragon. Scales on the bottom. His mouth has been likened to a fireplace because the poet thinks dragons can fire fire out of their mouths. His nose is like a chimney from which smoke comes. His toes are so pointy and sharp that they could cut anything like a dagger if they were sharp.
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
There are two lines in this poem that show how brave each character is.
A group of bears has been likened to Belinda for being brave. Ink and Blink, even though they are so small, have the power to chase lions down the stairs.
People have likened Mustard’s courage to that of an angry tiger. All of them are different from custard. When he was afraid, he always asked for a safe place to hide. He was a coward.
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 be mean to Custard. It was a fun way for Ink, Blink, and Mustard to mock Custard. They compared him to Percival.
In King Arthur’s court, Percival was one of the best knights. He was known for his bravery, courage, and strength. In the little red waggon, everyone laughed at Custard. They laughed at his fear (lack of bravery).
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
It made Belinda laugh a lot. He thought the house was shaking because of how hard he laughed. blink, the mouse would make a sound like “Weeck.” They asked the dragon’s age to make fun of him while the dragon begged for his own safe place to live in a 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 wind a.
EXPLANATION
While everyone was making fun of the dragon, they heard a bad noise coming from the house.
It was mustard, and the dog started growling. They all looked around, and then mustard. Meowch! Meowch! Belinda and Ink were shocked when they saw a pirate climb the window of their 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
He looked very dangerous when he came into the room. As you can see, he had pistols in both hands, as well as a small sword in his mouth. He had a black beard and one leg made of wood. People in the house knew right away that the pirate was going to hurt the people and pets 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
It scared Belinda to death when she saw the pirate. She yelled for help and became pale. They could not help her, and everyone ran away from there. Mustard cried a lot and then ran away from the group. Ink ran down to the bottom of the house, and Blink quickly ran into his hole.
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
Cowardly dragon Custard rescued Belinda when everyone else ran away when they saw the pirate. Custard then fought back with all of his might against him.
Pirate: He leapt in front of the pirate and made an angry sound through his nose like an engine. He started to move his tail very quickly, making a sound that sounded like iron or metals being hit in a dungeon (prison). There were so many scary noises that he kept following the pirate like a bird did with the 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
He was shocked by the dragon’s response. He looked at all of Belinda’s dragon with his mouth wide open, and he didn’t move.
Drinking from his pocket was the best way for him to get the wine he was drinking. That’s when the pirate pulled out his pistol and fired two shots into the Custard dish. He did not hit him. Finally, the pirate was eaten by custard or ale.
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
Everyone had a good time when the pirate died.
Belinda hugged Custard and Mustard licked him with love.
– None of the people who knew the pirate were sad when he was killed. For some reason, Ink and Blink were dancing around the dragon that had eaten the pirate.
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
The event shows who is a coward and who is brave. That’s what Mustard said. If he had not been nervous, Mustard would have been twice as brave as Custard. They said they would have been three times as brave as the custard. People were braver than Custard.
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, a 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,
EXPLANATION
In Stanzas 14 and 15, there is almost the same thing going on as in Stanzas l and 4. There is only one difference: stanzas l and 4 show how the housemates were in the past, and stanzas 14 and 15 show how they were after the pirates came in. A lot of things haven’t changed at all.
Belinda and her three “brave” pets are now making fun of the “cowardly” again. A dragon is a great pet to have.
But Custard keeps crying for a nice safe cage.