How does Ted Hughes create a striking impression in the poem The Thought-Fox?

The fox, the poem's driving symbol, signifies the fickle, multifaceted nature of poetic inspiration. The fox is cold, delicate, and neat; however, he is also lame, sharp, and bold. He appears slowly, then suddenly, from the forest's darkness; he minds his own business, but he also provokes a powerful creative response in the speaker. The fox is both animal and idea; he is wild, but also subject to the poet's manipulation, an image to be used, described part by part.