Answer:
The first allusion refers to Hercules and his extreme strength and physical capacities and the second one refers to the winter and spring metaphor used in the poem "Work without Hope".
Explanation:
When the author says "Herculean task" the reference is Hercules, who is a Greek semi-god who had incredible strength and also was very fast and in general physically capable of many things. Therefore, the writer's room is absolutely disorganized and requires Hercules to complete the task.
The allusion in "Work without hope" is in the phrase "I'm afraid I may not be going anywhere tonight" because in the poem the author talks about how everything in nature requires work, but then, nature is not working because of the winter that promises spring. The same case as the excerpt writer, who won't work, not even in front of the promise of a dance.
