Leda and the Swan The Supernatural Quotes Page 1
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| Quote #1 A sudden blow: (line 1) |
The shock of the swan's attack on Leda represents the shock of sudden contact with another kind of reality. The heavy beats at the beginning of the poem fall like a lead weight. The "blow" explains Leda's disorientation throughout the poem.
| Quote #2 The feathered glory from her loosening thighs? (line 6) |
The word "glory" marks one of the first references to the swan's godlike nature. The poem makes clear that for Leda to resist would be futile. She is up against a force beyond her powers.
| Quote #3 But feel the strange heart beating where it lies? (line 8) |
Leda is caught between "higher" and "lower" natures (i.e., that of a god and that of an animal). The swan's heart is "strange" or foreign because it belongs to an animal and a divine being.
