Student Question
Why is the emperor in "Sailing to Byzantium" referred to as drowsy?
Quick answer:
In "Sailing to Byzantium," the emperor is described as drowsy to emphasize the contrast between mortal human frailties and the eternal nature of art. The emperor, being human, experiences tiredness, while the golden bird Yeats envisions becoming represents immortality and tirelessness. This contrast highlights Yeats's desire to transcend aging and mortality by becoming a timeless work of art, as reflected in his aspiration to be like the undying, ever-singing bird.
The emperor is a human being who is being contrasted to Yeats's vision of becoming an immortal golden bird, a mechanical work of art. Because the emperor is human, he will experience such human frailties as becoming drowsy. But the golden bird the elderly Yeats dreams of being will never be tired, just at it won't die. Because it won't be tired, it will be able to sing to the emperor and help keep him awake.
The poem as a whole contrasts being a mortal human who grows old and dies to a work of art, which never changes or ages. Yeats expresses a preference for escaping from aging. He does not want to be a "tattered coat upon a stick," which is his image of an old man. He thinks it would be better to be the mechanical bird that never dies or tires.
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