English Literature / Unit 16 ENL 1511 short lesson, about 20 seconds
"Sailing to Byzantium"
Captions available
The idea
"Sailing to Byzantium," from The Tower of nineteen twenty-eight, opens, "That is no country for old men." The aging speaker sails to Byzantium, asking to be gathered "Into the artifice of eternity" and to take the form of a golden bird.
In practice
An old man seeks permanent art.
Where people slip
Byzantium stands for art beyond time.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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