The Supper

A wolf he pricks with eyes of fire      Across the night's o'ercrusted snows,          Seeking his prey,          He pads his way      Where Jane benighted goes,         Where Jane benighted goes.      He curdles the bleak air with ire,      Ruffling his hoary raiment through,          And lo! he sees          Beneath the trees      Where Jane's light footsteps go,         Where Jane's light footsteps go.      No hound peals thus in wicked joy,      He snaps his muzzle in the snows,          His five-clawed feet          Do scamper fleet      Where Jane's bright lanthorn shows,         Where Jane's bright lanthorn shows.      Now his greed's green doth gaze unseen      On a pure face of wilding rose,          Her amber eyes          In fear's surprise      Watch largely as she goes,         Watch largely as she goes.      Salt wells his hunger in his jaws,      His lust it revels to and fro,          Yet small beneath          A soft voice saith,      'Jane shall in safety go,         Jane shall in safety go.'      He lurched as if a fiery lash      Had scourged his hide, and through and through,          His furious eyes          O'erscanned the skies,      But nearer dared not go,         But nearer dared not go.      He reared like wild Bucephalus,      His fangs like spears in him uprose,          Ev'n to the town          Jane's flitting gown      He grins on as she goes,         He grins on as she goes.      In fierce lament he howls amain,      He scampers, marvelling in his throes          What brought him there          To sup on air,      While Jane unarmd goes,         While Jane unarmd goes.