The leaf and the marble

"The Leaf and the Marble is an extended love poem. Beginning with a holiday in Italy, the poetry is transformed by passion and place into a meditation on the founding legends of the Classical world. Dido and Aeneas play a central role, the world of nature and the world of man are sharply contrasted. Rome and its empire were founded on the denial of love: the poet's task is to write love back."--BOOK JACKET.