Do not go gentle into that good night - Dylan Thomas [1914 - 1953]

"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 the 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."

“Do not go gentle into that good night” is considered one of the most well-known and appreciated poems of all time. Dylan Thomas uses a style of poetry typically written in French, and manages to perfectly translate it into a well constructed english poem. This  villanelles is a proper 19 lined poem with 5 stanzas by three and a final stanza with four lines. With only two rhymes, Thomas manages to effectively portray epic emotions as he argues with the death of a loved one. Effectively using the night as a metaphor for death, it is simple to see through the use of repetition, that Dylan is going through an emotional time, as he prays for his father. The two repeated lines end up concluded the poem, as a villanelles should; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. 

  I really enjoy this poem as it shows such strong defiance and agony against death. I feel as though it shows the true passionate pain felt through losing someone you love, Thomas’ simple repetition and rhymes overflow with emotions so well that readers feel an entirely new perspective on death. Through the wise men, the good men, the wild men and the grave men, he teaches us the fight and fear we all hold towards the “good night”. I do actually consider it to be one of the greatest pieces of all time, perfectly composed and precisely crafted.