Since the publication of A Summoning of Stones in 1954, Hecht's work has been praised for the delicate and intricate structure of its forms, as well as its classical erudition and wit. These qualities certainly make him pleasant to read. But his vision of the world is by no means ingratiating. His theme is our helplessness in the face of injustice in a world that is, beneath its façade, a natural hell, often made more hellish by the periodic outbreaks of our interior demons.

The conflict between comfortable or uplifting illusions and the hard realities is beautifully delineated in Stones. "Japan" explores changing stereotypes of that country's people: ingenious manufacturers of minute toys, monsters of oriental treachery, Zen masters—but always inhumanly clever. As the poet grimly reminds us, however, "Human endeavor clumsily betrays / Humanity." By a thrifty recycling of their own human waste for fertilizer, they spread...