An Irish Airman Foresees His Death — William Butler Yeats / Vasily Agapkin

Before, long after, and during World War I, Ireland was a conquered country, under the heel of the English ruling class. English occupation involved genocides, death and exile of millions, theft of land, food, and other resources, and the transformation of the remaining Irish into strangers in their own land. The Irish tried to revolt, again and again, but failed. The narrator of the poem, a young Irishman, foresees his own and his neighbors’ never-ending life of poverty and quite desperation, regardless of who emerges victorious in that senseless war. Death, he feels, is better than such a life. So, instead of committing suicide, he decides to die gloriously among the clouds, fighting for the pillagers of his people.

Credits:
Lyrics (1918): William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
Melody (1912): Vasily Agapkin (1884–1964)
Vocals: Andrey Lavrushkin
Musical Inspiration: Dina Garipova
Video Production: Maria Ignateva
Technical Supervision: Donna Nissani
Producers: Donna and Moti Nissani
Project Conceptualization and Oversight: Moti Nissani