a place of art and soul Byzantium Central Idea of the Poem The main idea of the poem is the journey from the physical world to the spiritual world Yeats is now old He feels ignored in a world full of young people He says That is no country for old men He means young people only love fun love and nature They don t care about the soul But Yeats wants something more He wants to leave this world and go to Byzantium Byzantium is an old city full of holy art and wisdom So he says And therefore I have sailed the seas and come To the holy city of Byzantium In Byzantium he will be free from the pain of aging He will not be trapped in a dying body Instead his soul will live forever through art He says Once out of nature I shall never take My bodily form from any natural thing He wants to become like a golden bird made by artists That bird will never die It will sing songs of soul and wisdom in the king s palace Form Meter Rhyme Scheme The poem has stanzas each with lines The lines are in iambic pentameter The rhyme scheme is ABABABCC in each stanza This gives the poem a musical and serious tone This is perfect for its deep message Symbols amp Imagery Yeats uses many symbols in the poem Each symbol has a special meaning Byzantium A holy city of art soul and peace Golden Bird A symbol of immortal art and spirit Holy fire A symbol of purification of the soul Salmon and birds They show the natural cycle of life death and rebirth These images help us understand the poet s desire to leave the world of the body and enter the world of the soul Language and Tone The language is rich and poetic but also full of emotion Yeats uses big ideas in simple words His tone is Sad because of aging and weakness Hopeful for a better world of soul and art Serious and respectful for the wise men of Byzantium He says shows respect to the wise in such a way O sages standing in God s holy fire As in the gold mosaic of a wall This line shows his great respect for the wise and spiritual men of the past Sailing to Byzantium is a very deep and beautiful poem It shows Yeats search for immortality not in the body but in the soul and in art He wants peace wisdom and eternal life beyond the world of nature and time The poem teaches us that life is short but art and soul are forever