W.B. Yeats has long been one of my favorite poets when I get around to reading poetry. The specific reference here, of course, is to “Leda And The Swan,” a poem about the rape of Leda by Zeus (a minor event that ultimately leads to the Trojan War).
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I believe it was H.H. Munro (who wrote under the name Saki) who described a character with: “he not only reads Yeats, he understands him,” which was not meant as a compliment. If it wasn’t Saki, it was Wilde, who was also brilliant and mean and funny. Saki’s most accessible short stories include “Tobermory” and “Srendi Vashtar.” Saki’s work is all public domain now and can easily be found online – go google it. (I’d start with “Tobermory,” personally, or maybe “Srendi Vashtar.”)

That was fun. I may have to come up with a grade for Lady Augusta Gregory now. You know she’s just behind Yeats, as ever.

errata

My memory is going: the second Saki story I mentioned is “Sredni Vashtar.”

Oops.
Her name’s Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory. This Ficlet takes more research than I realized.