In his poem “Leda and the Swan,” William Butler Yeats retells the classic Greek myth in which Leda, a human woman, is impregnated by the god Zeus while he is in the form of a swan. This conception results in the birth of Helen of Troy, who grows up to cause the legendary Trojan War—an event that, in turn, becomes the catalyst for the Golden Age of Greece and the dawn of modern history. In his arresting rendition of the myth, Yeats uses the traditional sonnet form to new ends, capturing the powerful forces by which history is made and the human impact of fate's violence and indifference.
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The Full Text of “Leda and the Swan”
1A sudden blow: the great wings beating still
2Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed
3By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,
4He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.
5How can those terrified vague fingers push
6The feathered glory from her loosening thighs?
7And how can body, laid in that white rush,
8But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?
9A shudder in the loins engenders there
10The broken wall, the burning roof and tower
11And Agamemnon dead.
12 Being so caught up,
13So mastered by the brute blood of the air,
14Did she put on his knowledge with his power
15Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?
The Full Text of “Leda and the Swan”
1A sudden blow: the great wings beating still
2Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed
3By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,
4He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.
5How can those terrified vague fingers push
6The feathered glory from her loosening thighs?
7And how can body, laid in that white rush,
8But feel the strange heart beating where it lies?
9A shudder in the loins engenders there
10The broken wall, the burning roof and tower
11And Agamemnon dead.
12 Being so caught up,
13So mastered by the brute blood of the air,
14Did she put on his knowledge with his power
15Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?
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“Leda and the Swan” Summary
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“Leda and the Swan” Themes
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Sex and Violence
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Fate and Free Will
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History and Transformation
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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “Leda and the Swan”
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Lines 1-2
A sudden blow: the great wings beating still
Above the staggering girl, -
Lines 2-4
her thighs caressed
By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,
He holds her helpless breast upon his breast. -
Lines 5-6
How can those terrified vague fingers push
The feathered glory from her loosening thighs? -
Lines 7-8
And how can body, laid in that white rush,
But feel the strange heart beating where it lies? -
Lines 9-11
A shudder in the loins engenders there
The broken wall, the burning roof and tower
And Agamemnon dead. -
Lines 12-13
Being so caught up,
So mastered by the brute blood of the air, -
Lines 14-15
Did she put on his knowledge with his power
Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?
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“Leda and the Swan” Symbols
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The Swan
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Leda
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The Trojan War
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“Leda and the Swan” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language
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Alliteration
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Allusion
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Anthropomorphism
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Asyndeton
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Caesura
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Enjambment
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Imagery
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Rhetorical Question
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Synecdoche
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“Leda and the Swan” Vocabulary
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
- Blow
- Staggering
- Caressed
- Dark webs
- Nape
- Bill
- White rush
- Loins
- Engenders
- The broken wall, the burning roof and tower
- Agamemnon
- Brute
- Indifferent
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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “Leda and the Swan”
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Form
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Meter
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Rhyme Scheme
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“Leda and the Swan” Speaker
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“Leda and the Swan” Setting
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Literary and Historical Context of “Leda and the Swan”
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More “Leda and the Swan” Resources
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External Resources
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Yeats's Geometry and Gyres — An excerpt from a scholarly article that investigates W.B. Yeats's theories about "gyres" and historical change.
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The Life and Works of William Butler Yeats — An online exhibition presented by the National Library of Ireland on W.B. Yeats and his impact on his native country.
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Yeats's Biography — An account of W.B. Yeats's life, with a focus on his development as a poet.
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Leda and the Swan in Art — A round-up of just some of the many interpretations of the story of Leda and the Swan in visual art.
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Encyclopedia Mythica — A helpful resource for more information on mythical figures referenced by the poem, including Leda, Zeus, and Agamemnon.
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LitCharts on Other Poems by William Butler Yeats
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