TEXT I
I know 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.
(YEATS, W.B. An Irish Airman Foresees His Death in Rhyme and Reason, An Anthology. Org. O’MALLEY, Raymond. Hart-Davis Educational.)
TEXT II
Oh, I’ve just come from the land of the sun
From a war that must be won
In the name of truth
With our soldiers so brave
Your freedom we will save
With our rifles and grenades
And some help from God
I want to see my family
My wife and child waiting for me
I’ve got to go home
I’ve been so alone you see
You just can’t believe
The joy I did receive
When I finally got my leave
And I was going home
Oh, I flew through the sky
My convictions could not lie
For my country I would die
And I will see it soon
When I walked through the door
My wife she laid upon the floor
And with tears her eyes were sore
I did not know why
Then I looked into her hand
And I saw the telegram
Said that I was a brave, brave man
But that I was dead
(SUMMER, Bernard; GILBERT, Gillian; HOOK, Peter; MORRIS, Stephen. Lyrics to Love Vigilantes, performed by New Order, Low Life CD, track 1, Universal Music Publishing Group, 1986. Taken from https://lyricfind.com)
