">W.B. Yeats uses the city of Byzantium as a deep and powerful symbol in his poems “Sailing to Byzantium” and “Byzantium.” To him, it is not just a real place but a land of the spirit. This place symbolizes art, wisdom, purity, and eternal peace beyond human suffering.

Symbol of Spiritual Perfection: Yeats views Byzantium as a holy land where the soul is freed from human weakness. The city stands for a world of spirit, where art and faith triumph over decay. In “Sailing to Byzantium,” the poet says,

“And therefore I have sailed the seas and come

To the holy city of Byzantium.”

It is a place untouched by the chaos of life. He wishes to escape from the world of “sensual music” to this land of eternal rest.

Symbol of Art and Immortality: In Byzantium, the poet finds a world of perfect art. The golden bird in the poem sings not of sorrow but of eternal truth. It represents art that never grows old or dies. In the poem “Byzantium,” the poet says,

“Miracle, bird or golden handiwork,

More miracle than bird or handiwork,

Planted on the starlit golden bough,”

Yeats believes that through art, man can reach immortality. Thus, Byzantium becomes a symbol of pure, timeless beauty.

Symbol of Purification and Rebirth: Byzantium also symbolizes the soul’s journey from life to purification. The mystic fire on the Emperor’s pavement burns the souls of the dead, cleansing them of earthly sins. This fire represents spiritual rebirth and the purification of human desires. 

In Yeats’s poems, Byzantium stands as a symbol of perfection, art, and purity. It represents the poet’s dream of escaping.