Identify descriptions of the workers' environment and tasks from the first two sections of the poem.

The poem describes the workers in the following ways:

• They are associated with "heavy mud," indicating a difficult, dirty, or agricultural environment.
• Their labor involves "gym-screaming sweat," suggesting intense physical exertion and strenuous, noisy work.
• They are "eye-scorched," implying harsh environmental conditions such as bright sun, dust, or other irritants.
• They use tools like "axe-squeaking or counter-tongs," which points to manual labor involving cutting, gripping, or heavy construction/mining.
• They "curse their blistered hands," a direct indication of physical injury and pain from their work.
• They "bend their lives over-old," signifying that their labor is so physically demanding it causes premature aging or physical deformity.

The workers endure extremely harsh and physically demanding conditions. They toil in heavy mud, suggesting a dirty and difficult environment. Their work requires intense physical exertion, leading to profuse sweating and "gym-screaming" sounds of strain. They are exposed to harsh elements that "eye-scorch" them, and they use manual tools like axes and tongs for their labor. This arduous work results in physical injuries, evident in their "blistered hands," and causes them to prematurely age or become physically stooped, as they "bend their lives over-old."

The working conditions of the workers are characterized by extreme physical hardship in a dirty and demanding environment. They engage in strenuous manual labor using tools like axes and tongs, which causes physical injuries such as blistered hands and leads to premature aging due to the relentless toil.