An Irish Airman Foresees His Death
William Butler Yeats wrote this poem in honor and memory of Major Gregory. Major Gregory was an Irish airman who fought and died in the air battles against Germany during World War I. Major Gregory was the son of Lady Gregory, who was a supporter of the arts and a good friend of Yeats.
Yeats writes the poem as though he is the aviator, about to meet his demise. The first two lines prepare the reader for the fact that the pilot will die. However, Yeats does not spend much time on the pilot’s imminent demise. He moves on to establish the pilot's motives. The pilot chose to fly and fight in the war, not because he hated the Germans, nor because he loved his country; and he didn't do it for fame or fortune. The pilot flew for one reason only; the sheer joy of flying. Yeats does not try to portray Major Gregory as a heroic character, sacrificing live and limb for the greater good of mankind. With the line, "I balanced all, brought all to mind," Yeats is trying to relate to the reader what Major Gregory has to tell us about life and death. In this line, Yeats is not merely saying that Major Gregory’s life flashed before his eyes. He balanced ALL, brought ALL to mind. It is a waste of time and energy to live in the past, as well as to live always for what might be (the future). In reality, and especially at that moment before death, all that matters is the present. Perhaps that moment before death is the only moment when one can truly realize and wholeheartedly believe that.
In this poem, Yeats uses a very simple ABAB rhyme scheme that does not alter during the poem. This seems to emphasize the simple nature of the airman’s choice. He chose to fight only for the simple delight of flying. This poem also uses very simple language, which may served to highlight the fact that everyone at one point or another has a choice similar to this. The choice is whether we slowly grind our way to death, or like the Irish airman do we jump on a “lonely impulse of delight” and seek an exciting way to live doing something we enjoy even though it may lead to our death.
This poem also has some words in the lines that seem to have significance in the meaning of this poem. Almost every line ends with a strong word such as fate, hate, love, fight, ect. Maybe this serves to add emphasis to the poem, which seems to have a lethargic tone. I believe that this contrast between the mundane language that is used in most of the poem and the powerful words at the end of some lines serves to highlight the choice we all have. We must choose between slowly winding our way to a dusty death or grabbing an opportunity to make our life fleetingly bright and exciting.
Yeats is also dealing with time, and where within time should we focus our attention. Yeats repeats certain words or phrases in the last four lines, “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.” He seems to be saying that we must not linger on the past, nor should we always be concerned with what could happen in the future.
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