is free It is full of truth Here there are no physical things like the body or beauty The poet wants to leave the world of youth and enjoy the peace of the soul in Byzantium Symbol of Eternal Art and Beauty Byzantium also stands for art that never dies The poet wants to escape death He wants to become a work of art like a golden bird that sings forever He says Once out of nature I shall never take My bodily form This means he wants to leave his weak old body He wants to become something beautiful and eternal like art made of gold Byzantium is the place where such eternal things are created Symbol of Freedom from Old Age and Pain In real life the poet feels weak and useless because of old age But in Byzantium he can live without pain He wants to forget his dying body and live as a free soul So Byzantium is a symbol of a better world free from age body and suffering In Sailing to Byzantium Byzantium is not a real place It is a powerful symbol It stands for wisdom art and eternal life It is where the soul becomes free and pure forever