Byzantium : Quotations
Byzantium is a notable literary work by William Butler Yeats. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Byzantium.
Quotations
Quotes:
“The unpurged images of day recede;” (Part – 1)
Explanation: This line shows the transition from the chaos and confusion of daytime to the calm of nighttime, symbolizing the shift from the physical world to a spiritual one.
“A starlit or a moonlit dome disdains
All that man is,
All mere complexities,
The fury and the mire of human veins.” (Part – 1)
Explanation: The starlit dome (heaven or a higher realm) rejects human problems and chaos, emphasizing how the spiritual world is free from human flaws and suffering.
“I hail the superhuman;
I call it death-in-life and life-in-death.” (Part – 2)
Explanation: The speaker acknowledges a higher, eternal state of being that transcends life and death, where human concerns no longer matter.
“Miracle, bird or golden handiwork,
More miracle than bird or handiwork,” (Part – 3)
Explanation: The bird represents an immortal, artistic creation—something perfect and timeless, beyond ordinary life.
“The golden smithies of the Emperor!” (Part – 5)
Explanation: The golden smithies refer to the divine, eternal forces shaping immortal things, contrasting with the imperfection of the human world.