A Vision: An Explanation of Life Founded upon the Writings of Giraldus and upon Certain Doctrines Attributed to Kusta Ben Luka

The poem “Leda” revolves around the ancient Greek myth in which the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, rapes the princess Leda. Among the children that result from the incident are Helen, whose kidnapping sparks the Trojan War, and Clytemnestra, who kills her husband Agamemnon after he returns from the Trojan War as retribution for sacrificing their daughter to persuade the gods to turn the winds so that he could sail for Troy. The poem describes Zeus’s assault on Leda with intensity, capturing its violent and overpowering nature. It then delves into the immediate and long-term aftermath of the encounter. The lines, “A shudder in the loins engenders there / The broken wall, the burning roof and tower / And Agamemnon dead,” reference the Trojan War and the death of King Agamemnon, indicating the far-reaching consequences of their union. The final lines meditate on Leda’s transformation after the experience. The question, “Did she put on his knowledge with his power / Before the indifferent beak could let her drop?” suggests that, during the brutal act, Leda might have inherited or absorbed some form of divine knowledge from Zeus (149).