“An Irish Airman Foresees his Death” Introduction

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“An Irish Airman Foresees his Death” Summary

“An Irish Airman Foresees his Death” Themes

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  War and Death

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• 

  Irish Identity and British War

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “An Irish Airman Foresees his Death”

• Lines 1-4

  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;

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 5-8

  My country is Kiltartan Cross,
  My countrymen Kiltartan’s poor,
  No likely end could bring them loss
  Or leave them happier than before.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 9-12

  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;

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 13-16

  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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“An Irish Airman Foresees his Death” Symbols

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  Cheering Crowds

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“An Irish Airman Foresees his Death” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• End-Stopped Line

  

  

  

  

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• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

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• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Assonance

  

  

  

  

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• Consonance

  

  

  

  

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• Metaphor

  

  

  

  

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• Repetition

  

  

  

  

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• Caesura

  

  

  

  

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• Chiasmus

  

  

  

  

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“An Irish Airman Foresees his Death” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Fate
• Guard
• Kiltartan Cross
• Kiltartan's Poor
• End
• Bade
• Public Men
• Tumult
• Balanced

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “An Irish Airman Foresees his Death”

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• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“An Irish Airman Foresees his Death” Speaker

“An Irish Airman Foresees his Death” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “An Irish Airman Foresees his Death”

More “An Irish Airman Foresees his Death” Resources

• External Resources

  • W.B. Yeats Reads "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death" — The poet recites "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

  • W. B. Yeats's Biography — A detailed biography of Yeats from the Poetry Foundation.

  • Blake Morrison on "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death." — The contemporary Irish poet Blake Morrison reflects on "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

  • Background Info — Connie Ruzich provides detailed background on "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

  • Major Robert Gregory — An article on the life of Major Robert Gregory, the Irish pilot memorialized by W.B. Yeats in "An Irish Airman Foresees His Death."

• LitCharts on Other Poems by William Butler Yeats

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  • A Prayer for my Daughter

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  • Easter, 1916

  • He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

  • In Memory of Eva Gore-Booth and Con Markievicz

  • Lapis Lazuli

  • Leda and the Swan

  • Sailing to Byzantium

  • September 1913

  • The Lake Isle of Innisfree

  • The Second Coming

  • The Song of Wandering Aengus

  • The Wild Swans at Coole

  • To a Shade

  • When You Are Old