Lyr Req: 'Your tea's made sweeter': poem

Subject: Lyr Req: 'Your tea's made sweeter': poem
From: Rowan
Date: 19 Jun 07 - 07:20 PM

Joybell's request for songs linked to names of islands reminded me of a poem I've been searching for over the last 30 years or so.

The plotline involves a seagull flying around over the endless Pacific ocean, busting for a place to land and have a poop; all the other seagulls are in the same predicament. After an enormously long time the seagull spies a small rock in the middle of the ocean, lands on it, has the poop and, with cries of relief and joy, spreads the word to the other seagulls.

They all use the rock for the same purpose and over countless generations of seagulls the rock becomes an island and the accumulated guano supports a thriving community who call the island Nauru. In the 19th century some visitors realise that the guano is just the thing to use as fertiliser for crops in Australia and big bulldozers arrive to dig up the fertiliser and ships take the fertiliser to Oz, where farmers spread it over the feilds where they grow sugar cane. The sugar cane is harvested and taken to the sugar mills where it is refined into sugar, which is transported around the country to grocers' shops and sold to people to take home and put into their cups of tea.

The poem is composed of rhyming couplets and I can only remember the last couplet. which goes.
"And so you see, your tea's made sweeter
by a little drop of bird excreta!"

Searching Google on either of these phrases draws a blank of "No results; refine your search"

Well, I though Mudcat might be able to do better than Google.

And then I'll pass it onto Joybell.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Your tea's made sweeter': poem
From: gnomad
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 06:00 AM

I can't help with the poem, but the essence of the story fits with the history of Ocean Island in the western Pacific.

The autobiographical "A Pattern of Islands" by Arthur Grimble gives a potted history and an account of early 20th century life there. It is very much the Empire-Edwardian viewpoint, but it has real warmth and charm as well.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'Your tea's made sweeter': poem
From: Rowan
Date: 20 Jun 07 - 06:54 PM

Ah, gnomad, you've brought back memories.

I had to study that book for Matric English; it was a period when students were required to purchase books by relics of the British colonial system. But you're right, it has its charms and is better than the sequel he wrote.

Cheers, Rowan