Of Men and Cities Poems Summary

In the first poem "Vesuvius," the volcano Vesuvius lies dormant. Nature and people go about their business regularly. The townspeople discuss if and when Vesuvius will erupt. The hillman says they should not build on Vesuvius because it will erupt someday soon. They wise men of the town don't believe him. Vesuvius erupts and floods over Pompeii. It cannot stop erupting and destroys Pompei and everything around it.

In "The Shipwright," workers build a ship day and night. They work hard and are happy in their work. They are the citizens of the Earth who want to sail the seas in happiness.

In "The Triumph Aster," the narrator talks about how East and West meet in the sanctuary of a garden in the middle of his city. The Triumph aster or genus of Chinese plant...