The Triantiwontigongolope

Summary

This poem by C. J. Dennis is about an insect. He describes the insect and all its similarities and differences to all the other insects on the planet. He then asks us if we have seen the insect and tells us that he was joking and that we should let it go.

Stanza-by-stanza explanation

There’s a very funny insect that you do not often spy,
And it isn’t quite a spider, and it isn’t quite a fly;
It is something like a beetle and a little like a bee,
But nothing like a woolly grub that climbs upon a tree.
Its name is quite a hard one, but you’ll learn it soon, I hope.

In the first stanza, the poet tells us about the insect, and he says that it is not the type of insect that we would often see. It isn't like a spider, a fly, a beetle, or a bee, but it is an insect that has a very difficult pronunciation, but hopefully, we can say it.

It lives on weeds and wattle-gum, and has a funny face;
Its appetite is hearty, and its manners a disgrace.
When first you come upon it, it will give you quite a scare,
But when you look for it again, you find it isn’t there.
And unless you call it softly, it will stay away and mope. 

In the second stanza, the poet tells us about where it lies, what it eats, and how much it eats. If you look at it for the first time, it is quite scary, but if you turn around and look at it again, it's not there anymore. Unless you call its name softly, it will mope from a distance.

It trembles if you tickle it or tread upon its toes.
It is not an early riser, but it has a snubbish nose.
If you sneer at it or scold it, it will scuttle off in shame,
But it purrs and purrs quite proudly if you call it by its name,
And offer it some sandwiches of sealing wax and soap.

In the third stanza, the poet tells us that if you tickle it or turn it upside down, it will tremble. It is not an early riser, and it has a weird nose. If you scold it, it will go away in shame, but if you call its name, it will purr quite loudly. All you have to offer is some sealing wax and soap. 

But of course, you haven’t seen it, and I truthfully confess
That I haven’t seen it either, and I don’t know its address.
For there isn’t such an insect, though there really might have been
If the trees and grass were purple, and the sky was bottle-green.
It’s just a little joke of mine, which you’ll forgive, I hope.

In the fourth stanza, the poet asks us whether we have stumbled across anything similar to what he is describing. Then he confesses that there is no insect like that and that he was joking with us.