god
Zeus
also: Jupiter
The chief of the Greek gods; Venice forms herself each morning 'like a nymph who received Zeus.' (His swan-disguise also lies behind the Leda poem of this volume.)
Reading notes
- New Poems: The Other Part §57 Zeus
Venice, forming herself anew each morning out of sky and tide, comes to herself 'like a nymph who received Zeus.'
- Duino Elegies §6 like the god into the swan
Zeus, who took the form of a swan to come to Leda; the image of the god pouring himself wholly into a single shape and act.