Sailing to Byzantium : Themes
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.
Themes
Themes
- Old Age and Youth: The poet feels unwanted in a land of youth. Young people love life, but ignore the old. Old age is lonely and painful. Yeats says, “This is no country for old men.”
- Art vs. Nature: Nature is changing and dies with time. But art is timeless and never dies. The poet wants to leave nature and become art. He believes art gives life meaning.
- Desire for Immortality: The poet does not want to die as a human. He wants to live forever as a work of art. He dreams of becoming a golden bird. This bird will sing forever in Byzantium.