Sailing to Byzantium Analysis PDF

Dr Rajeev Ranjan, Asst Professor (English), LNT College, Muzaffarpur TDC/PART-I/ENGLISH(Hons) Paper-III Critical appreciation of the poem- ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ by W.B. Yeats tells the story of a man who is traveling to a new country, Byzantium, a spi...

Dr Rajeev Ranjan, Asst Professor (English), LNT College, Muzaffarpur TDC/PART-I/ENGLISH(Hons) Paper-III Critical appreciation of the poem- ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ by W.B. Yeats tells the story of a man who is traveling to a new country, Byzantium, a spiritual resort to him. Byzantium was an ancient Greek colony later named Constantinople, which is situated where Istanbul, Turkey, now stands. While the speaker does take an actual journey to Byzantium, the reader can interpret this journey as a metaphorical one, perhaps representing the journey of the artist. In the poem, the speaker feels the country in which he resides is no place for the old—it is only welcoming to the young and promising. The speaker thus decides to travel to Byzantium, and later, to eternity, where age is not an issue, and he will be able to transcend his physical life. The speaker in ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ wishes to sail and go to an imaginary world (or country), Byzantium. There the artist, almost impersonal, manages to reflect this vision of a whole people. This country had a culture so integrated as to produce art that could have the impact of a single image. The world that the poet wants to leave to sail to Byzantium is transfixed by the “sensual music” of its singing birds which is represented by decaying multitudinous bodies – fish, flesh, foul. These “dying generations” of the world’s birds sing songs to the body, songs which distract all people from the contemplation of “monuments of unageing intellect.” Those alone can justify an old man’s existence and cannot be produced in modern chaotic times. The poem is broken into four stanzas, each containing eight lines. There is a set rhyme scheme throughout the poem of abababcc. Yeats wrote the poem in iambic pentameter, and there is a rhyming couplet at the end of each stanza. Such a rhyming scheme of stanzas is known as the ottava rima. As the poem is in iambic pentameter, it means that there are a total of five iambs in a line. The stress falls on the second syllable in each foot. Hence, giving the rhythm of the poem an uplifting notch. Besides, the poet’s journey to Byzantium is also an elevating step towards eternity. The sing-song-like structure makes the mood of the poem optimistic, though the poet touches on the negatives of worldly life. Yeats presents several themes in this poem. First of all, ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ presents the theme of spirituality. Here, the poet refers to a different kind of spirituality that does not center on the concept of asceticism. The speaker is more concerned with the study of artworks that elevates the intellectual capacity of the soul. Thereafter, one can find themes of old age vs youth, culture, art, and eternity. This poem deals with the contrast between old age and youth. Youth, according to the poet, is a time of enjoyment of worldly pleasures. While old age is all about how one utilizes one’s wisdom for the betterment of the soul. Moreover, the poet talks about the dying culture of his time. Lastly, Yeats also talks about the role of classical art and its magnificence that can last for eternity.