🐉 The Tale of Custard the Dragon – Summary Class 10 English
"The Tale of Custard the Dragon" by Ogden Nash is a humorous ballad included in the Class 10 English book First Flight. This poem narrates the story of a cowardly dragon named Custard who surprises everyone by showing real bravery at the right moment. Below you will find the expanded summary in English, its Hindi translation, key points for exams, and useful related posts for Class 10 students. This detailed explanation will help students prepare for their CBSE, MP Board, and other State Board exams.
👤 Author Introduction – Ogden Nash
Ogden Nash (1902–1971) was an American poet, famous for his light verse and witty, humorous poetry. He wrote over 400 comic poems, often using playful rhymes and breaking traditional rules of poetry. His unique style made him one of the most loved humorous poets of the 20th century. In “The Tale of Custard the Dragon”, he uses irony and humor to challenge conventional ideas of courage and cowardice.
Image: Custard the Dragon with Belinda and friends
📖 Expanded Summary in English
The poem “The Tale of Custard the Dragon” by Ogden Nash is a humorous ballad that narrates the story of a young girl named Belinda and her unusual pets. Belinda lived in a little white house with a black kitten named Ink, a grey mouse named Blink, a yellow dog named Mustard, and a dragon named Custard. Although Custard looked very fierce with sharp teeth, spikes, scales, and dagger-like claws, he was actually very timid. He always begged for a “nice safe cage”.
Belinda and her other pets constantly mocked Custard for his cowardice. They considered themselves extremely brave: Belinda was said to be “as brave as a barrel full of bears,” Ink and Blink could chase lions, and Mustard was as brave as a raging tiger. In contrast, Custard only wanted safety. This contrast created humor and irony in the poem, as the scariest-looking creature turned out to be the most fearful.
One day, a pirate suddenly broke into Belinda’s house through the window. He looked very dangerous, holding pistols in both hands and a shining sword in his teeth. At this moment of real danger, all the “brave” ones showed their true colors. Belinda screamed, Mustard ran away, Ink climbed to hide, and Blink disappeared into his hole. Surprisingly, it was Custard, the so-called coward, who rose bravely to the occasion. He snorted like an engine, clashed his tail like heavy iron, and fearlessly attacked the pirate.
The pirate fired bullets at Custard, but they could not harm him. Finally, Custard swallowed the pirate completely. After the danger was over, everyone rejoiced. Belinda hugged Custard, Mustard licked him, and Ink and Blink danced with joy. But soon, they started boasting again. Mustard claimed he would have been braver if he hadn’t been nervous, while Ink and Blink insisted that they too could have fought the pirate. Custard remained humble and modest, agreeing that everyone was braver than him.
The poem ends with humor and irony. Although Custard was the true hero, he never demanded praise and continued to be mocked as a coward. The poet conveys the message that true bravery is tested only in real-life situations, and that humility is greater than empty boasting.
📖 Summary in Hindi
“The Tale of Custard the Dragon” एक हास्यप्रद बालाड (गीतात्मक कविता) है जिसमें कवि Ogden Nash ने एक बच्ची बेलिंडा और उसके अजीब पालतू जानवरों की कहानी बताई है। बेलिंडा एक छोटे से सफेद घर में रहती थी और उसके पास चार पालतू थे – एक काली बिल्ली इंक, एक चूहा ब्लिंक, एक पीला कुत्ता मस्टर्ड और एक ड्रैगन कस्टर्ड।
कस्टर्ड का रूप देखने में बहुत डरावना था – उसके बड़े तेज दांत थे, शरीर पर काँटे और नुकीले पंजे थे, फिर भी उसका स्वभाव बहुत डरपोक था। वह हमेशा एक “सुरक्षित पिंजरे” की मांग करता था। इसके विपरीत, बेलिंडा और उसके बाकी पालतू जानवर खुद को बहुत बहादुर बताते और कस्टर्ड का मज़ाक उड़ाते थे।
एक दिन अचानक एक समुद्री डाकू (पाइरेट) खिड़की से घर में घुस आया। उसके हाथों में पिस्तौल थी और मुँह में तलवार। असली खतरे के समय बेलिंडा और बाकी सभी जानवर डर गए। बेलिंडा मदद के लिए चिल्लाई, मस्टर्ड भाग गया, इंक छिपने लगा और ब्लिंक अपने बिल में घुस गया। लेकिन आश्चर्यजनक रूप से, डरपोक कहलाने वाला कस्टर्ड ही असली बहादुर निकला।
कस्टर्ड ने जोरदार गर्जना की, अपनी पूंछ लोहे की तरह बजाई और समुद्री डाकू पर टूट पड़ा। डाकू ने गोलियाँ चलाईं लेकिन कस्टर्ड को नुकसान नहीं पहुँचा सका। अंततः कस्टर्ड ने उस डाकू को निगल लिया और घर को सुरक्षित कर दिया।
घटना के बाद सभी ने खुशी मनाई। बेलिंडा ने कस्टर्ड को गले लगाया, मस्टर्ड ने उसे चाटा और इंक व ब्लिंक खुशी से नाचने लगे। लेकिन कुछ देर बाद उन्होंने फिर से डींगें मारनी शुरू कर दीं। मस्टर्ड ने कहा कि अगर वह घबराया न होता तो और बहादुर साबित होता, इंक और ब्लिंक ने भी दावा किया कि वे भी समुद्री डाकू से लड़ सकते थे। कस्टर्ड विनम्र रहा और बोला कि हाँ, सब लोग उससे ज्यादा बहादुर हैं।
कविता का अंत हास्य और व्यंग्य से भरा है। असली बहादुरी दिखाने वाला कस्टर्ड था, लेकिन उसने कभी घमंड नहीं किया और बाकी लोग फिर से उसे डरपोक कहने लगे। संदेश यह है कि असली साहस कठिन परिस्थितियों में ही साबित होता है और विनम्रता हमेशा डींग मारने से बेहतर है।
Image: Custard bravely fighting the pirate
📝 Key Points to Remember
- Poem is a ballad (song-like narrative poem).
- Main characters: Belinda, Ink (cat), Blink (mouse), Mustard (dog), and Custard (dragon).
- Custard looked fierce but was very timid.
- Others considered themselves brave but ran away during danger.
- Custard fought bravely and killed the pirate.
- Message: True bravery is proved in real situations; humility is greater than false boasting.