I do not want to sound sacrilegious, but is the Christian story of the origins of Jesus, fathered by God imposed upon Mary a retelling of this myth? I could not help but see some parallels.
The sestet seems also to allude not just to the Trojan wall and war, but also to the mundane physical consequence of a torn hymen and blood that can result from rape. This reading makes the transition seem less abrupt, the incident more violent, and the poem more evocative. I came across this poem for the first time today, and appreciate your insightful exegesis.
The subject of rape is so prominent in mythology, and Leda and the Swan has been featured so often in classical art. It's a bit disturbing really, Yeat's portrayal of rape and its allusions to a "divine experience", but I really appreciated this analysis and your insight Rebecca.
The poems you cover I have known by heart for 30 years. I(we) are home schooling our 13 year old and this poem would fall into the TMI generational embarrassment chasm! WS’s Sonnet 129 was one of the first poems we covered. I knew he’d be attracted to the language and I wanted to share the message, once a cheater always a cheater. You are a heroine around our house. Thank you.
A fleeting moment of pleasure for a God "engenders" in the mortal "victim" enormous personal consequences and even historical epochal consequences for human civilization. A mere momentary glimpse of inspiration into "the heavens" of immortality can have lasting effects that reverberate through history.
Thank you so much for taking the time to do these. It has been so helpful for my online classes. Not having accessible times to reach my teacher makes discussing poems challenging. Your videos are great, thank you!
I studied Yeats many years ago and have forgotten much since. What a wonderful analysis and evocation of this powerful poem. Thank you, Professor. Best wishes.
Clarice Aust Thanks so much for your kind words, and I'm glad you reconnected with Yeats! The depth of his thought and, as you say, the power of his poems continue to challenge me.
@sixminutescholar I love the later interpretation of the poem referring to creative force, but I have to say that I am puzzled on how you are not looking at their intercourse from a different angle as well? How are you 100% sure that it is a rape? Loosening ties are a complete opposite of someone being raped, it clearly says that she is leaning into the experience and living it, also she Feels the beating heart. Why couldn't it be that she was just surprised by it all. It was definitely overpowering because she is in contact with a force she's never experienced before so it is a new and strong, overpowering feeling, but she leans into it so again - a complete opposite of a rape. Loosening ties are describing someone who is giving into the divine moment, she is just struck (surprised) of the divine force but I definitely wouldn't say that she is being raped. She Feels the beating heart of the swan (passion, energy) and there is the touching of the neck- it is a moment of passion and therefore she is thinking - why or how would I resist this? Or in other words, when an artist gets struck by an inspiration it is definitely a very powerful feeling making YOU feel powerless over the force, but the feeling is so intense that you have no other choice than to accept it and live through it (write the poem, enjoy in a moment of passion you have never experienced before, paint a painting...you LET it go THROUGH you). So again, saying this is a rape for a fact is reading into the poem in a very "plastic" way. Think of it this way - when you are struck with a moment of divine inspiration does it really ask for your permission to enter? No. You are being taken advantage of it, but in a sense that you are just a medium, it goes through you but you are not RAPED, you are just experiencing it (so yes, you are the object here that is being used but I think saying this was an actual act of rape really ruins the Beauty of the whole poem. There is so much more here than it actually meets the eye, which is why it is so beautiful. And thank you for sharing the later view of the divine force flow - it helped me understand all the above and paint the whole picture
Yes, you make a good point. I see it as an idea descending from a surprising source, lodging in the artist, and coming to fruition in an artistic act. The ending would then be asking whether the artist is changed by touching the creative source or is merely the vessel and conduit left spent and shattered by the effort. This is still a reach, perhaps, but that's how it maps onto the poem in my mind.
I have my first report in Comparative Literature. I'm having a hard time to find out the topic that was given to me, entitled: THREE VERSIONS OF YEATS: LEDA AND THE SWAN. Does the "VERSION" is pertaining to how many times Yeats wrote the poem, or Leda and the Swan has three versions? Thank you for answering my question.
I truly love your content you have helped me so much with my intro to literature class! Thanks for explaining things so well! I really enjoy all your videos!
Well said ma'am. Thank you very much 😄. In appearance you look exactly like a cute junior of mine who is a literature lover. I must say if you were a professor of our college I would have 100% attendance 😅💕😄
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 Agamemnon 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?
I think the word "still" is not implying stillness - which is incompatible with the preceding verb 'beating'. It is implying present tense time, i.e. it is a different (more poetic) wording of 'they are still beating' - the frantic act of rape is still happening after the colon.
