An-analysis-of-“Sailing-to-Byzantium”

Ananalysisof“SailingtoByzantium”“SailingtoByzantium”isoneofthemostfamouspoemswrittenbyYeatsin1928.It’sapoemofottavarima，including4stanzas.ByzantiumusuallymeanseasternRomanEmpireinmiddlecentury，withthecapitalConstantinopleasitscenter.JustlikeIstanbulconnectingeastandwestingeography，ByzantiumisfamousforitsroleasabridgecommunicatingancientGreekwithrenaissance.It’sthroughByzantiumthatmoderncivilizationcansearchfortheremotemirageofGreek.Yeatssayshewantstowriteabouthissoul，asquestingsoulisamatterofanoldman’sduty.HewritesthistopicinsailingtoByzantium.ByzantiumwasoncethesourceofphilosophyandthecenterofEuropeancivilization.HeconsidersthetraveltoByzantiumistheprogressofpursuingspirituallife.YeatsthinksthattheByzantiumdynasty（527-565）isthetypicalrepresentativeofloyalculture.Duringthattime，spiritandmaterial，artandpolitics，individualandsocietyunitedharmoniously.However，therearemanythreatsanddisastersinreality，thispoetryexpresseshishatredtowardmodernmaterializationandhisyearningforancientculture.Fromthebeginningofthepoetry，“Theyounginoneanotherarms，birdsinthetrees-Thosedyinggenerations-……Whateverisbegotten，born，anddiesCaughtinthatsensualmusicallneglectMonumentsofanagingintellect.”Thoseyoungmensquandertheiryouthandignorespiritualproducts，immersedinsensualpleasurewithoutknowingthetruthoflife.Thelimitationdefinedbydeathhasn’tthreatenedtheirlives；theycanonlyfeelthesuperficialworldwherefishesandbirdsactivate，excludinganydepthandexpansionofwisdom.Thiswisdomdoesn’texistinmodernsociety，itcanonlybefoundinsacredByzantium.SothepoetdeterminestodrivetoByzantiumandlethissoulsingsloudlythere，thereforehegetsridofphysicalcontrol.So“I”becomeagoldenbirdperchingonthegoldenbough，singinghappily.“Anagedmanisbutapaltrything，Atatteredcoatuponastick”，Onlyhissoulclapsitshandsandsing，canhegetoverthedesolatesituationofhisoldage.Heisexpelledfromthematerialworldlikeapitifulthingbecausetheworldadmiresthepowerofyouth.Onthesoilwherematerialismisenamored，allthedevotiontospiritcanjustbeembezzled.Exceptturningbacktotheholycity，whatcan“I”chooseotherwise？Afterunderstandingthelimitationofmaterials，“I”havesailedtheseasandcometotheholycityofByzantium.Byzantiumnotonlyrepresentsthegeographicalandhistoricalcity，butalsoistheartisticsymbol，historicalcodeandexoticmark.Onlytheoldmangetstheenlightenment，manypeoplestillliveignorantly，waitingforsalvation.Peopleneedtheguidanceofsages，toembracethebirthofthetruth.“OsagesstandinginGod'sholyfire/Asinthegoldmosaicofawall，/Comefromtheholyfire，perneinagyre”Inthethirdstanza，thepoetcallsforsagesinthemosaictocometoearthfromtheirholyposition，leadingpeopletogiveuptheirmundaneandvulgarinterests，andgoforeternity.Thepoetexpresseshisemotionclearlythatlifeisfullofpains，butindulginginpleasurescannotdefendtheruthlesspassingoftime.Yeatswantstoabandonallthedesiresandlustandtranscendintotheeternalhumanity.Thefourthstanzacontinuestopresentshiscomprehensionwiththestrongsenseofreligion.“OnceoutofnatureIshallnevertake/Mybodilyformfromanynaturalthing，/ButsuchaformasGreciangoldsmithsmake/Ofhammeredgoldandgoldenameling/TokeepadrowsyEmperorawake；/Orsetuponagoldenboughtosing/TolordsandladiesofByzantium/Ofwhatispast，orpassing，ortocome”Hethinksabouthumans’materialandspiritualexistenceontheviewpointofhumans’currentsituation：lifeanddeath，bodyandsoul，temporalityandimmortality.Thesequestionsalwayspuzzlephilosopher’smind.Thispoemisfullofindicationandmetaphysics.Lifeseemstobeatragedy，butafterfinishingit，itturnsouttobeacomedy.Thegoldenboughsymbolizeseternalartifactsthatwecanentrustto.Onlyifwerelyongoldenboughcanwetranscendtheearthlythoughtsandreacheternity.References：[1]Grene，Nicholas.Yeats’PoeticCode.Oxford：OxfordUp，2008.[2]Pruitt，Virginia.“Yeats’s‘SailingToByzantium’”TheExplicator63.4（2005）225-27.[3]Vendler，Helen.OnSecretDiscipline：YeatsAndLyricForm.Oxford：OxfordUp，2007.