The Song of the Heroic Dragon

Poem by Sarah Das Gupta

The Song of the Heroic Dragon by Sarah Das Gupta tells the tale of Hilton Green’s terrorized villagers, living in fear of a lurking monster—until courage rises to reclaim their river and restore their feast.

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In the village of Hilton Green,
the peasants lived in awful fear.
A dreadful Monster could be seen,
which lurked in the river and weir.

None dare catch tasty eels or fish,
their diet was reduced to veg.
Many days they were heard to wish,
‘If only we could dig and dredge!’

If they went too near the river,
The Creature would quickly come.
It made them quiver and shiver,
even left them cold and numb.

This Monster had horrific claws,
its huge mouth could swallow two men.
It only had to use its jaws,
and then they were not seen again.	

Sharp, green spikes went along its back,
a great tail swished from side to side.
The bulging eyes were deadly black.
In the clay and mud, it would hide.

They reached the end of their tether,
ten people had died that year.
They had suffered dreadful weather,
but the monster was their worst fear.

When the summer was really warm,
they all had the most awful dread,
that unless there was a great storm,
the Monster would visit instead.

At last, a strange hero arrived,
wild rumours ran through the village.
Would he be a hero to thrive,
Or had he just come to pillage?

When first he stood on the green,
people ran fast indoors to hide.
For it was a dragon they’d seen,
The old messenger had not lied!

This dragon seemed very kind,
he waved a large foot at the peasants.
This gesture they did not much mind,
if only the creature just was pleasant.

The Dragon stood and softly roared,
no flames nor hot smoke did he breathe.
The grass he gently and lightly pawed,
no fire from his nostrils did seethe.

The headman went out to talk,
the villagers looked on in awe.
Never once did he halt or baulk,
he even shook the Dragon’s paw!

The Dragon wanted a peaceful life,
it longed to be helpful and quiet.
This creature wanted no more strife,
 It lived on a vegetable diet.

The headman spoke of the vile Beast
which haunted their local river.
The Dragon vowed to stop the feasts
and to burn the Monster’s liver!

Each day he flew to Hilton Green,
to eat his food and drink some milk.
It was the oddest sight you’ve seen
for peasants to all love his ilk.

This Dragon was a handsome guy,
his wings were elegant and light.
Green scales were easy on the eye,
and he looked so majestic in flight!

To amuse all the small kids there,
the Dragon blew out smoke and fire,
which soon filled the surrounding air,
but the Dragon never showed ire.

The peasants and Dragon planned 
to slay the river Monster soon.
This would finally free the land,
for men and Dragon, a great boon.

They had to draw the Monster out
of the deep water to succeed.
The Dragon wanted dry land, no doubt.
A nice, tasty lure they would need.

The Dragon, disguised with leaves,
will stand still on the river brink.
It’ a real tree, the Monster believes.
The lure will then start to sink!

One night they go to the river,
the Dragon is a walking tree.
No time now to stop or dither.
On the bank a new ‘tree’ you see.

Into the water, fish they place,
Lines in the open mouths they fix.
All now, for the final fight, brace.
The Monster comes, the lure he licks.

In the darkness, they pull the lines,
the dead fish slip up the high slope
The creature fails to read the signs,
 the fish move with a yank on the rope;

The Monster nears the ‘dragon tree’,
he just follows the fishy lure.
Soon the hidden Dragon he’ll see.
Who will best the battle endure?

Suddenly, the lower branches move,
the dragon creeps behind his foe.
A clever stunt this will now prove.
The Monster has no place to go.

The Dragon blows fire and steam,
the Monster cannot see at all.
At first the Dragon is supreme,
now his smoke is a blinding wall.

Then the Monster starts to coil round,
the Dragon cannot breathe or move.
He’s beginning to lose some ground,
and still has a good deal to prove.

The Monster is used to swimming,
the way to the river is blocked.
The water there may be brimming,
but the pathway there is locked.

The Dragon is using his tail,
to thwack and thump his foe
which tries to run, to no avail.
Both must withstand a hefty blow

The Dragon’s claws have torn the side
of the Monster’s long, scaly back.
Both start to stumble, slip, and slide,
now gouts of blood drip, ghastly, black.

The Monster needs water to live,
it limps slowly to the wet edge.
Little strength has it left to give.
It falls dead in watery sedge.

Now the watchers all cheer aloud,
to see that their hero has won.
Of the victor they’re truly proud,
as they greet the bright, rising sun.

When both Men and Dragons combine,
we can see the world at its best.
Now life in Hilton Green is fine,
and the Dragon has earnt his rest!

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Sarah Das Gupta is a poet from Cambridge, UK who has lived and worked in India and Africa. Her work has been published in over 200 magazines and anthologies in many countries, including , US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Germany, India, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Australia and New Zealand.