Sailing to Byzantium : Summary
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.
Summary
Summary
Stanza 1 – The Pain of an Old Man in the Land of Youth: In this stanza, the poet says he is in a land full of young people. They sing, love, and enjoy nature. The young ones are enjoying life. Birds sing, fish dance in the water, and trees bear fruit. But the poet realizes he has no place in this land. He is old. His body is weak. His soul is in pain. No one values him. His knowledge or experience is not appreciated. So, he decides to leave this land and go somewhere else where the soul and wisdom are valued.
Stanza 2 – Journey on the Path of Truth: Now the poet says he wants to go to a holy and eternal city called “Byzantium.” This city is not real; it is a world of imagination. Here, the rules of time do not apply. Here, the soul becomes immortal. He wants to leave behind his body and begin the journey of the soul. He says this old body is like a worn-out garment he wears. Now his soul wants to go on a new path—the path of truth and eternity.
Stanza 3 – The Call of the Holy Sages: In this stanza, the poet calls upon the wise and holy people of Byzantium. He asks them to help him. He wants them to purify his soul. The poet says his soul should be burned pure by God’s holy fire. These wise men stand before a golden mosaic wall surrounded by fire. They are holy not only in religion but also in art and knowledge. The poet wishes these great souls would free him from the limits of his body.
Stanza 4 – Desire for Immortality in Art: In the last stanza, the poet says that once his soul is purified, it will never want to return to a human body. It does not want to go back to the cycle of birth, life, and death. So, what does it want? It wants to become a golden bird living in the royal palace of Byzantium. This bird never dies. It becomes a part of art forever. It sings for the kings—about knowledge, history, and the soul.
In this poem, the poet wants to leave his body and seek the freedom of the soul. He wants to leave the world of nature and youth and move toward art and eternity. “Byzantium” is the imagined place where the soul lives forever—in art, knowledge, and holiness.