Sailing to Byzantium

Today I am going to discuss Sailing to Byzantium, a poem by William Butler Yeast. I'm going to analysed and giving some idea as why this poem considers to be an important landmark in Modern poetry and as well as one of the most important poems ever written in English Literature.

Sailing to Byzantium

About the poet

William Butler Yeast was born in 1865 in Ireland. He was an Irish dramatist and poet. He was renowned Anglo-Irish poet and dramatist. He was awarded the Noble Prize for Literature in 1923.He was the one of the most important modern poets who exerted a great influence on his contemporary as well as succeeding poets. He composed his early poetry between 1885 and 1899. This period of fifteen years has been described by critics as The Celtic Twilight Period.

Sailing to Byzantium

W.B. Yeast is a symbolic poet. He uses many symbols in his poetry. The symbols used by Yeats are difficult to understand because they are derived from obscure Irish mythology. Sailing to Byzantium is a poem by W.B. Yeats, first published in the 1928 collection ‘The Tower’ it comprises four stanzas in Ottava rima , each made up of eight lines of Iambic Pentameter. Yeats uses a journey to Byzantium as a metaphor for a spiritual journey. He wants to leave this earthly world.

What is Byzantium?

It is an imaginary city “a country of mind and art and soul purification”. It symbolises some transcendental country a place out of time and nature, a world of art and philosophy. As a matter of fact, Byzantium the old name for Constantinople or Istanbul was the capital of Eastern part of the Roman Empire and centre of mosaic art and metal enamelling.

Central idea of 'Sailing to Byzantium'

The first stanza is full of sensuality of the country which not for the old man. In such an atmosphere of the country nobody cares for art and Literature, or it may be said that the movement of the unageing intellect are neglected. In this stanza, the poet says that he is sailing to Byzantium from Ireland because the country is not suitable for old people to live their life there is all physical and sensual, he wants to go where intellectual and spiritual life is awaiting him. The young ones are busy in sensual pleasure. It is country where everyone even birds and beasts all are given to sensual pleasure. The weaker man grows physically, the stronger man should be his joy in the work of Art. The joy, the singing and dancing can be derived only by standing the immortal works of Art. It is for its great artistic treasure that poet is sailing to Byzantium country.

In the second stanza Yeats express his disgust for the condition of the old man in this country. According to him an old man is considered as a petty thing. It means that the old man is like a worn-out cloth and wrapped upon the thin Skelton. It is so only if the soul is not thrilled with joy, so one must teach one’s soul to clap and sing with joy. The old age is the age of physical decay and mental decline. Old man not respected in this country. Nobody cares them as they are like a useless creature. Hence, he decides to leave this country and sail to the holy city of Byzantium.

In the third stanza he prays to God’s saints to come down from Heaven (holy Fire) and teach him to appreciate art the saints are the creator of monuments of unageing intellect ‘and its guardian Angles’.  The poet prays them to purifying his heart as they are busy in purification of themselves. Devoid of any passion the wishes to be absorbed in the immortal product of art.The poet wants to get rid of the physical self and to become a part of ‘the artifice eternity. 

In the fourth stanza, which is also the concluding stanza of the poem, he says that once his soul leaves this body. he would never again return to it. he will never again take any natural farm instead that he will take an artificial farm. He wished to become a golden bird and sing the past, present and future sitting upon golden bough in the country of Byzantium. This song of the poet will be monuments of unageing intellect and not of senses.

Poetic style of W.B. Yeast

As for as poetic style is concerned the poem is remarkable. There are four stanzas in ottava rima, each made up of eight lines of Iambic Pentameter. He uses various poetic techniques. The poem is full of alliteration, Assonance, simile, and metaphor.

Assonance:

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of ‘A’ “An aged man is but a paltry thing” and “My bodily form from any natural thing”.

Alliteration:

Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line as-                                                                                                       

“To lords and ladies of Byzantium”

 “Fish, Flesh, or fowl, commend all summer long”.

Personification:

Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate object, for example-

“Soul claps its hands and sing, and louder sing”.

Metaphor:

It is a figure of speech used for an implied comparison between different objects. There are three metaphors used in this poem. For example- “and fastened to a dying animal” here poet compare himself to a dead animal

“A tattered coat upon a stick, unless” here poet compare himself as a scarecrow.     “For every tatter in its mortal dress,” he compares the body with a dress that will be worn out someday.

Rhyming scheme of ‘Sailing to Byzantium’:

ABABABCC is the rhyming scheme of this poem, two trios of alternating rhyme followed by a couplet.

Significance of the title:

The title of the poem ‘sailing to Byzantium’ is very significant that it gives a clue to the reader about the poem. The speaker of the poem is unhappy. He is an old man .and there is no place for old man in the country of young man. He searches spiritual enlighten and wants to go the holy city of Byzantium.

Themes of ‘Sailing to Byzantium’

There are various themes in this poem as

Old age

Morality

The power of art

Old age:   the poem starts with the difficulties of old age. Many problems are elderly people suffers when they become old. their old and weak body seems a burden to them. The body is not really important for him, a singing soul matters more than a worn-out body.

Morality:    this poem contains the idea of Morality. in this country, the speaker feels outsider because young are busy in enjoying life that is mortal.

The power of art: art, here is presented as a pathway to immortality. Art, the poem argues, can represent and preserve bodies that never change. The first half of the poem talks about the world of young and the second half talks about Byzantium.

Conclusion:

Thus, in this poem yeast appreciates the beauty which has the power of enlightened the soul of human. In facts, nature’s beauty is God’s creation and so it has godly spirit in it.