Sailing to Byzantium : Quotations
Sailing to 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 Sailing to Byzantium.
Quotations
Quotes
“That is no country for old men.”
Explanation: The poet says young people enjoy love, music, and nature. But they ignore the old. So, the country is not for aged people.
“An aged man is but a paltry thing,
A tattered coat upon a stick.”
Explanation: The poet compares an old man to a weak, useless figure like a coat hanging on a stick.
“Consume my heart away; sick with desire.”
Explanation: The poet wants to remove his weak heart that is full of worldly desires.
“Once out of nature I shall never take
My bodily form from any natural thing.”
Explanation: After death, the poet wants a spiritual, eternal form—not anything natural or decaying.
“Of hammered gold and gold enamelling.”
Explanation: The poet wants to become a golden work of art—beautiful and eternal.