Poem 12, "The Marmalade Man Makes a Dance to Mend Us" Summary

This is a short little poem of two verses in the familiar ABCB ballad form. It is the first time that the reader ever hears the voice of the Marmalade Man, who is piping a song on his flute and singing to the characters. In stanza one, he addresses the characters with capital letters to all their names, such as Tiger, Rabbit, and so on. He is telling the creatures to mend their ways, usually a religious remonstrance, and to follow him through "mist and maze."

In stanza two, he continues to call out orders. The fox and hound are to go together, "paw in paw." The cat and rat are to make up and be best friends. The lamb and tiger should...