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November 26, 2019Arts and CultureHistory and Past EventsLiterature and WritingPeople and BiographicalPhilosophy and ThinkingAn Irish Airman Foresees His DeathIrelandIrish PoetsKiltartan CrossMajor Robert GregoryPoetPoetryW.b. YeatsWilliam Butler YeatsWorld War 1World War IAn Irish Airman Foresees His DeathBy W.B. YeatsWilliam Butler Yeats, widely considered one of the greatest poets of the English...
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
By W.B. Yeats
William Butler Yeats, widely considered one of the greatest poets of the English language, received the 1923 Nobel Prize for Literature. His work was greatly influenced by the heritage and politics of Ireland.
I 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 country 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 man, 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.