Sailing to Byzantium

in the poem titled sailing to Byzantium....yeats describes a journey to byzantium, becuase he feels like Ireland no longer has a place for him as it says "no country for old men" by 1928 when it was first published..Ireland had gained independence from great britian..which before that Yeats wrote alot about Independence. after that Yeats was aging and no longer fealt fit to be in Ireland. what might attract Byzantium to Yeats is the fact that it's a place where the old "like art and philosophy" is appriciated....thus feeling he needs that appriciation himself. also the people potrayed in Byzantium art Like emperor Justine and Emperos Sophia forever live in the art, and is always admired. he is in a point of his life he knows he will die as old age fast approaches him so he dreams of immortality which ever way possible. what's interesting is he did get his wish for he has become immortal through his poems.