“Sailing to Byzantium” (1927) is one of the greatest poems of the Irish poet W. B. Yeats (1865–1939). The poem shows the struggle of keeping the soul alive inside a weak and dying human body. The speaker is an old man. He leaves the world of the young and begins a spiritual journey to Byzantium, an ancient city famous for religion and art. There, he hopes to rise above death and become like an immortal work of art.

Yeats himself was growing old when he wrote this poem. That is why the poem clearly describes the change from the pleasures of the physical world to the search for spiritual perfection and immortality.

The Limitations of the Physical World: The poem opens with an image of the world of youth, full of life, love, and energy. Young lovers embrace each other, birds sing, and the waters are alive with fish. Yeats writes,

“That is no country for old men. The young

In one another’s arms, birds in the trees.”

Journey to Byzantium – Seeking Spiritual Light: The poet then turns away from this world of pleasure. He compares an old man to a “tattered coat upon a stick.” This image shows how the body grows weak and ugly with age. Yet he believes the soul can still live strongly if it turns away from the physical body and seeks the spiritual. To give life to the soul, he begins his journey to Byzantium, a city full of religion, wisdom, and art.

Transcending Mortality: Yeats imagines himself sailing across the seas to reach the holy city:

“And therefore I have sailed the seas and come

To the holy city of Byzantium.”

Transformation into Art – Immortal Life: In Byzantium, Yeats sees sages (holy men) “standing in God’s holy fire.” These holy men are free from the limits of the human body. They exist in a state of spiritual immortality, like the golden mosaics that shine forever in the churches of Byzantium. Yeats prays to them to guide his soul and make it eternal.

In the last stanza, the poet dreams of becoming a work of art himself. He imagines turning into a golden bird, not tied to the weakness of the body. As a bird made of gold, he would sing forever in the emperor’s palace:

“Or set upon a golden bough to sing

To lords and ladies of Byzantium

Of what is past, or passing, or to come.”

In the end, the poem shows Yeats’ journey from the sensual world of youth to the timeless world of spirit and art. He wants to escape the pain of aging and become something immortal. His vision of Byzantium and his dream of transformation into art reflect the poet’s wish to leave behind the mortal body and achieve eternal spiritual life.