The Second Coming

Poetry | William Butler Yeats
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How does W.B. Yeats Desire for Immortality

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How does W.B. Yeats desire for immortality and show his attitude to old age in “Sailing to Byzantium?” [NU: 2015, 18, 20] ★★★

W.B. Yeats (1865–1939) wrote “Sailing to Byzantium” (1927) when he was getting old. He felt weak and unwanted in the world of young people. So, he wanted to leave the real world and go to a holy, eternal place, Byzantium. In this poem, Yeats shows that he does not like old age. He wants to become immortal through art and spirit. 

Old Age Makes Life Difficult: Yeats feels sad because of old age. He says that old people are like, 

“A tattered coat upon a stick.”

This means old people are weak and useless if they don’t have a strong soul. He feels that in this world, only young people are praised. Old people are forgotten. So, he wants to leave this world of youth.

Desire to Escape the Real World: Yeats wants to go to Byzantium. It i

s not just a place. It is a symbol of a holy and eternal world. He wants to go there to learn spiritual things. He wants to forget the pain of the body and enjoy the beauty of art and soul. So he says,

“O sages standing in God’s holy fire...”

He calls on wise people (sages) to help him leave the body and become something eternal.

Desire to Become Immortal through Art: Yeats says he does not want to return to the human world. He wants to become like a golden bird made by artists, never dying. So he writes,

“Once out of nature I shall never take 

My bodily form...”

He wants to be an artwork that sings forever — beyond time, death, or decay.

Yeats feels old age is painful and lonely. So, he dreams of immortality through art. He believes the soul can live forever, not the body. This shows his deep wish to escape time and find peace in beauty.

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William Butler Yeats
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