W.B.Yeats is the representative of the early British symbolism movement, and using symbol is one distinctive feature of his poetry. In the masterpiece Sailing to Byzantium, Yeats created a complex image the Byzantium Empire. Yeats maintained that Byzantium symbolized art, history and dissimilarity. When depicting the image of the Byzantium Empire, Yeats wasn't confined to the historical facts but transformed it into a holy place according to some secondhand materials. For Yeats, Byzantium was only an instrument instead of the final destination. In the image of the Byzantium Empire, Yeats expressed his wish for his mother country Ireland and disclosed his aristocratic ideal. The image of the Byzantium Empire represented the flowering culture characterized by the aristocratic civilization, which accorded with Yeats’ aristocratic taste. Besides, dissatisfied with Irish society, Yeats attempted to seek a role model for Ireland in history. Thus, the Byzantium Empire naturally drew Yeats’ attention, because it conformed to the poet’s political ideal.