Sailing to Byzantium

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1928

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Further Reading & Resources

Related Poems

“A Coat” by William Butler Yeats (1912)

Written in 1912 and later published in Responsibilities (1914), this poem shows Yeats taking responsibility for his poetic sensibilities of the 1890s. He criticizes his overuse of flowery language and “old mythologies.” “A Coat” indicates a major stylistic shift towards Minimalism in his work that will last for decades.

“The Second Coming“ by William Butler Yeats (1920)

First published in Yeats’s collection The Dial, “The Second Coming” is one of the most well-known pieces by the poet. Much like “Sailing to Byzantium,” the poem dramatizes prophetic events. Rather than invoking ancient history to express his Messianic sentiments, Yeats takes a more direct approach in this poem by utilizing Christian imagery of apocalypse and absolute ruin, mirroring the ambience of post-war Europe.

“Byzantium“ by William Butler Yeats (1928)

As a continuation of “Sailing to Byzantium” which elaborates on the role of the city in Yeats’s philosophy. “Byzantium”—also from The Tower—continues where its companion leaves off, further explicating themes like animality, spirit, and empire.

Further Literary Resources

W.B. Yeats’s A Vision: Explications and Contexts ed. Neil Mann, Matthew Gibson and Claire Nally (2012)

In this collection of essays, a diverse set of issues from Yeats’s A Vision are considered in detail. Everything from astrology and reincarnation to automatic writing is discussed. Explications and Contexts is an essential companion to both A Vision and “Sailing to Byzantium.”

“W. B. Yeats: Artist or Alchemist?” by Robert M. Schuler (1971)

In “Artist or Alchemist?,” Robert M. Schuler situates the theory and practice of alchemy as a primary facet of Yeats’s poetics. Schuler agrees that Yeats dramatizes the alchemical process of transformation through his uses of language. Schuler argues that alchemy is not mere metaphor for Yeats; rather, there are political stakes to the idea of radical change as occult, particularly given the transformations that occurred in Ireland in the 1920s.

“Blake and Yeats: Visions of Apocalypse“ by Laura Marvel (1986)

Laura Marvel’s “Blake and Yeats: Visions of Apocalypse” centers on the Romantic roots of Yeats’s eschatology, beginning with Blake’s “The Tyger,” which associates the titular animal with the end of the world. Marvel argues that Blake’s creature is the one Yeats speaks of in “The Second Coming,” agreeing that humanity retreats from nature and into modern city life—a line of flight resulting from a tremendous fear of the beastly, as well as the unknown.

Listen to Poem

“Sailing to Byzantium” read by Terence McKenna

Terence McKenna (November 16, 1946 – April 3, 2000), like Yeats, was enthusiastic about metaphysics, mysticism, and eschatology. He is famous for his book The Archaic Revival: Speculations on Psychedelic Mushrooms, the Amazon, Virtual Reality, UFOs, Evolution, Shamanism, the Rebirth of the Goddess, and the End of History. Here, he reads Yeats’s “Sailing to Byzantium.”