Leda and the swan
"Leda and The Swan"
By: William Butler Yeats
(1923)
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 a body, laid in that white rush,
But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?
A …
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…act involving an innocent
person. By using a Greek myth for the basis of this sonnet, Yeats words
become more effective in representing the poem's violent tone, and a
powerless mortal versus the powerful immortal foundation. With the
use of allusion (referring to Greek mythology), alliteration, enjambment,
and rhyme scheme W. B. Yeats creates very vivid images to
demonstrate the deceitful acts of Zeus.
"Leda and the Swan"
Analyzed By: Kristen Terbeek
Introduction to Literature
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