The Cuckoo

The Cuckoo - meaning Summary

Marriage Mocked by Cuckoos

Ogden Nash’s short poem uses the cuckoo as a witty emblem of those who reject conventional domestic life. The speaker notes cuckoos "fail as husbands and as wives" and then deride everyone else’s marriages. In plain terms, the poem suggests that people who flout or fail at marital norms often compensate by criticizing or belittling others, exposing a petty mixture of self-justification and hypocrisy.