The Fox Cub Speaks-Hylda C. Cole

 THE FOX CUB SPEAKS

'What is the sound, little brother,

That rings through the early air?

'Oh, that is the call of the farmer-lads

As the last of the sheaves they bear,

And they sing 'mid the dewy golden grain

And laugh and make merry there.'

But the old fox said: 'That's the huntsman's

call,

Take care!'

'What is the gleam, little brother,

Showing white in the meadow there?'

'Oh, the children gather the bramble fruit,

And fill the pails they bear,

And they dance, white clad, 'mong the crimson-

ing leaves

Or the purple beauty share.'

But the old fox said: 'That's the glint of hounds;

Beware!'

'What is the rustle, brother,

That creeps through the covert there?'

'Oh, the scent-soaked early morning breeze

Is stirring the bracken where

The green turns bronze-quick! little brother,

We'd best get back to our lair!'

And the old fox, he said nothing, for he wasn't

there.

HYLDA C. COLE

Summary: 'The Fox Cub Speaks' by Hylda C. Cole is a poem that describes a conversation between two fox cubs, one of whom is curious about the sounds and sights around them, while the other is more cautious and aware of the dangers that may be present. The first cub asks about the sound of the farmer-lads singing in the golden grain, the gleam of white in the meadow where children are picking bramble fruit, and the rustle of the early morning breeze in the covert. The second cub warns of the possible dangers of the huntsman's call, the glint of hounds, and the possibility of danger in the bracken. The poem ends with the first cub realizing that the old fox, who would have had more knowledge and experience, was not there to guide them.