William Butler Yeats, Leda and the swan

When I first read William Butler Yeats’ poem, « Leda and the Swan », I barely understood that it was a poem that discribes an incidence of rape. I figured that there must have been something that I misunderstood, because the mix between rape and phrases hintting towards the presence of a bird did not seem like they should coincide. Never-the-less, I felt the poem’s sinister, violent nature through the language the poet uses. “Staggering”, “helpless”, “…showed first 75 words of 1563 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1563 total…It permits the readers to be creative, to use their imagination. Besides, the poet is retelling a myth in which theses generally are not specified. I particularly enjoyed Yeats’ poem. It is beautifully written, and I am glad that I took the time to thoroughly analyse it. It truly makes one wonder about the coexistence of power and wisdom, and whether we should more often give into our true desires, as was forced upon Leda.