▁Ph an ▁and ▁bar it one ▁Andrew ▁Gar land ▁on ▁ 6 ▁August ▁ 2 0 0 5 . ▁When ▁H eg gie ▁was ▁studying ▁music ▁at ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁California ▁at ▁Los ▁Angeles , ▁Joh ana ▁Harris ▁( 1 9 1 2 - 1 9 9 5 ), ▁the ▁elder ly ▁Canadian ▁pian ist ▁who ▁taught , ▁ment ored ▁and ▁married ▁him , ▁introduced ▁him ▁to ▁the ▁poetry ▁of ▁A . ▁E . ▁H ous man ▁and ▁V ach el ▁L inds ay . ▁In ▁later ▁life ▁H eg gie ▁conce ived ▁the ▁idea ▁of ▁sh aping ▁a ▁selection ▁of ▁their ▁verse ▁into ▁a ▁narr ative ▁that ▁would ▁reflect ▁both ▁their ▁personal ▁histor ies ▁and ▁his ▁own . ▁The ▁cycle ' s ▁bar it one , ▁a ▁trav eller , ▁goes ▁back ▁to ▁the ▁place ▁where ▁he ▁grew ▁up ▁in ▁the ▁hope ▁of ▁recon cil ing ▁with ▁his ▁friend ▁( a ▁ten or ) ▁who ▁had ▁declared ▁a ▁hom osex ual ▁love ▁for ▁him ▁that ▁he ▁had ▁sp urn ed . ▁On ▁returning ▁to ▁his ▁home , ▁he ▁disco vers ▁that ▁his ▁friend ▁has ▁died , ▁that ▁the ▁back drop ▁of ▁his ▁youth ▁has ▁been ▁transformed ▁and ▁that ▁he ▁has ▁become ▁a ▁stranger ▁there . ▁Part ▁of ▁the ▁cycle ▁was ▁adapted ▁from ▁songs ▁that ▁H eg gie ▁wrote ▁at ▁U CLA ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 7 , ▁and ▁some ▁from ▁work ▁that ▁he ▁did ▁at ▁E den fred , ▁an ▁art istic ▁res iden cy ▁and ▁community ▁centre , ▁now ▁closed