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Labor and the Angel

Chapter 25: THE WOLF.
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About This Book

A collection of lyrical and narrative poems that intertwine rural and natural imagery with meditations on work, love, and moral responsibility. Poems depict harvests, seasonal change, and small lives—often pairing intimate domestic scenes with broader social observation—while recurring angelic and spiritual motifs frame labor as both suffering and sacred duty. Several sequences offer seasonal songs and short dramatic narratives; others turn to elegiac or reflective moods, addressing poverty, endurance, consolation, and the consolatory powers of love and service. The tone ranges from vivid sensory description to moral and communal critique, united by plain diction and musical cadence.

THE WOLF.

Whoo—whoo—
The rain in the hollow
The wan gray sleet will follow,
The shaggy moor
Will lie at the door,
Heavy with mould,
Dead with cold,
Whoo—whoo;—yu-loô—yu-loô.
Whoo—whoo—
The wind in the willow,
The snow heaped up for a pillow,
The shell of ice,
Will crush in a trice,
An iron mould,
To have and to hold,
Whoo—whoo;—yu-loô—yu-loô.
Whoo—whoo—
The frost in the furrow,
Heat takes long to burrow,
The fire on the hearth
Shakes its mirth
At one of God’s poor,
Outside the door,
Whoo—whoo;—yu-loô—yu-loô.
Whoo—whoo—
Weary and worry him,
Gnaw him, tug him, and carry him;
Dig him a pit,
Shallow and fit,
In the colder cold
It will hold or unfold,
Whoo—whoo;—yu-loô—yu-loô.
Whoo—whoo—
The steam from the thatches,
The casement tawny in patches;
Look not yet,
You might never forget
The ghost of breath,
Or the leper Death,
Whoo—whoo;—yu-loô—yu-loô.