poem that speaks to me

An Irish Airman Foresees His Death

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 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.

                                    William Butler Yeats

I have liked this poem since the time I heard it last year in a movie. I really like the irony created by the contrasting statements like "The years to come seemed waste of breath/A waste of breath the years behind." I feel like this poem really embodies all that war is, as a subject that is really difficult to understand. My favorite lines are "Those that I fight I do not hate,/Those that I guard I do not love;" because it really emphasizes the complexity of war. This poem made me think about war in a much different way than I had before. What's the point of war and is peace so far away? How could anyone be able to fight and kill people that they don't hate, aside from being told these people are the enemy? This poem is also really sad, because it was written in 1918 when people believed that WWI was the war to end all wars.