Leda+and+the+Swan

 **Leda and the Swan **

//A sudden blow: the// great wings //beating still Above the// staggering girl, //her thighs caressed By the// dark webs//, her nape caught in his bill,// //He holds her// helpless breast //upon his breast.

How can those// terrified vague fingers //push The feathered// glory //from her loosening thighs? And how can body, laid in that white rush, But feel the// strange heart beating //where it lies?//

//A// shudder in the loins //engenders there The// broken wall, the burning roof and tower And Agamemmon dead//. Being so caught up, So// mastered //by the brute blood of the air, Did she put on his knowledge with his// power //Before the// indifferent beak //could let her drop?//


 * In writing this poem, Yeats is actually re-telling a story that derives from Greek mythology. Zeus, the supreme ruler of Mount Olympus, took the form of a large swan and raped a young girl named Leda. This poem is quite vivid in its language, with Yeats providing contrasting characters. Zeus, who is powerful, takes advantage of a girl that is small and weak. (See "Notes on Leda and the Swan" page).**

Back to W. B. Yeats

__The Norton Anthology: British Literature__. Vol. 2. Greenblatt, Stephen. New York. 2006. 1890-1947.
 * References:**

__Encyclopedia Mythica__. "Zeus". 20 July 2005. MMVI Encyclopedia Mythica. [|www.pantheon.org]

Marko_K. Photo swan. [|www.flickr.com/photos/Marko_K/172459601]

