Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on that sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Summary / Analysis
"Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas is a villanelle, a 19-line poem with a specific structure of five tercets followed by a quatrain, featuring a rhyme scheme of ABA. The poem addresses the theme of resisting death and the struggle for life, expressed through the repeated refrains, "Do not go gentle into that good night" and "Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Within the poem, Thomas reflects on the ways men refuse to give in to death, providing examples from numerous types of men, such as "wise men," "Good men," "Wild men," and "Grave men." All of these types of men fight against the finality of death in their own way, indicating a shared struggle. Four of the six stanzas end with a deeply personal appeal of a son to his father, demanding the father to "Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
The villanelle form and refrain create a powerful rhythm that reinforces the emotional significance of the message. Dylan Thomas' use of vivid and contrasting imagery of light and darkness reinforces the general theme of life and death, and the human spirit's refusal to accept fate. The poem, in general, is a tribute to the necessity of resisting death and clinging to life until the end.