Isla de Aves

"Oh, the palms grew high in Avés and fruits that shone like gold, And the colibris and parrots they were gorgeous to behold; And the negro maids to Avés from bondage fast did flee, To welcome gallant sailors a-sweeping in from the sea.Oh, sweet it was in Avés to hear the landward breeze, A-swing with good tobacco in a net between the trees, With a negro lass to fan you while you listen’d t the roar Of the breakers on the reef outside that never touched the shore."

"The Pleasant Isle of Aves – no doubt you learned the poem at school? A very Eden, where once I wooded and watered whilst serving 'gainst the cursed Dons. There, in grotto secure, shall I build thee a two-storey bower all set about wi' fragrant blossoms and stored with jungle delicacies, the booming surf and gentle breezes to lull thy slumbers, mosquito cream by the bucket and only two minutes from the beach."