An Irish Airman Forsees His Death
An Irish Airman Forsees His Death - context Summary
Written 1918, Published 1921
Written at the end of World War I, the poem gives voice to an Irish airman who calmly predicts his own death. He feels no hatred for enemies nor affection for those he protects, and his allegiance is to a small local place, Kiltartan. Rejecting duty and public exhortation, he describes fighting as a solitary pleasure and weighs his past and future as "a waste of breath," equating life with its inevitable death.
Read Complete AnalysesI know that I shall meet my fate Somewhere among the clouds above; Those that I fight I do not hate, Those that I guard I do not love; My county is Kiltartan Cross, My countrymen Kiltartan's poor, No likely end could bring them loss Or leave them happier than before. Nor law, nor duty bade me fight, Nor public men, nor cheering crowds, A lonely impulse of delight Drove to this tumult in the clouds; I balanced all, brought all to mind, The years to come seemed waste of breath, A waste of breath the years behind In balance with this life, this death.
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