The Eternal Quest: A Celebration of Nature in Poetry

This book, a collection of 55 poems by the British scientist, natural historian and poet Hugh David Loxdale, originally published in 1988, is a wide-ranging celebration of nature in poetry. It has now been republished as a new edition and with a colourful front cover by Brambleby Books. The Eternal Quest concerns the beauty and dynamics of the natural world, its persistence and fragility. Most poems are on natural history themes, - the seasons, weather, plants and animals, although some cover philosophical perceptions of life and time, including human love. Thus ultimately, even whilst the seasons come and go, all of nature attempts to fulfil its destiny, whatever this may be molecular, genetic, evolutionary, romantic or spiritual, and is surely engaged in an eternal quest of sorts.

Table of Contents:
Dragonfly; Reluctant Spring; Swifts; Winter Visitors; The Marble Cone; Pipistrelles; At the Threshold of Spring; Late Autumn; The British Weather; Seagulls; Sunset Over Oxfordshire; The Lake; The Wren; Song Thrush Song; Fat Wood-Pigeons; Bumblebees; Blackbirds Song; Sunday Morning at the Manor; April Sunshine; Little Tern; Knott Wood in May; The Bullfinch; The Hoverfly; May; Already the Year Moves On; Deadly Nightshade; At the Edge of the City Park; Rain; Dawn Chorus; The Peacock; In Emmas Flat; Autumn Gales; Magpies; Fallen Autumn Leaves; Hawthorn Berries; The Swan; The Beige Stallion; Dippers; Fair Jacqueline; The Express Train; Winter Aconite; And What of the Creatures of the Night?; Sad Rose; Ghost of a Cat?; When Summer has Reached its Drowsiest State; The Underground; Small Boys and a Girl Fishing; Upon the Rivers Winding Way; Time; Starlings; Where Love Resides; A Dogs Life; North Wind in May; Wild Violets; Green Mood Bird and the Herald of Spring

About the Author :
Hugh Loxdale was born in Horley, Surrey, England and is an entomologist by profession. He writes mainly about the countryside and living things and is fascinated by evolution and how this influences our view of the living world and of Time. He has published four books of poetry, The Eternal Quest, his first book, being originally published under the pseudonym Hugh Llewelyn, one branch of his maternal ancestors coming from Wales. He is married and now lives and works in Hertfordshire, where he grew up.

Review :
What a delight to read, absorb and enjoy. Written with a sensitivity that only years of careful observation bring, this book of poems uplifts and renews a wonderment for nature. - Christine Walkden, Author, broadcaster and professional horticulturist