Said to be one of the most popular poems of the 20th century, “Do not go gentle into that good night” by Dylan Thomas is a classic villanelle with themes of life, death, and the time between. Addressed to his father, Thomas’ poem encourages all men, from the wise to the wild, to not go down without a fight. A poem full of poetic techniques, this brilliant work continues to be studied and appreciated worldwide. The events surrounding this poem make it that much more intriguing, and we wonder if Dylan Thomas himself went gently into that good night, just a year after this poem was published. Let’s take a closer look at the meaning of this infamous poem, written by a poet who experienced the dying of the light too soon.
“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas
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.
Summary
In “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night,” Thomas speaks of death, encouraging those who are dying to fight bravely. He acknowledges that death is inevitable and that those who are wise are aware of this. However, when the time comes for the sick and the elderly, they should not welcome death, but should resist it for as long as possible. Thomas also touches on the beauty of life and that even for those who live fully or a morally good life, there will be a time when they are on their deathbed, and they, too, should resist death. The poem had a great deal of personal meaning for Thomas as well. In the last stanza, the poem is dedicated to his ailing father, who he is asking to fight death and stay with him longer.
Analysis of “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”, Dylan Thomas
“Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas is considered a villanelle with five three-line stanzas and one four-line stanza at the end. A style appropriate for the theme of the poem. The poem is written in iambic pentameter and follows a A-B-A rhyming scheme, standard for a villanelle. In roughly half the stanzas, Thomas uses enjambment to create more drama and suspense and a sense of forward motion. Additionally, Thomas uses personification, figurative language, and similes. These poetic techniques were used to further the themes of the poem (more on that below!).
A deeper analysis of “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas sheds light on the nuances and metaphors throughout.
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.
Thomas presents the theme of the poem in the first few lines. “Good night” is a metaphor for death; the reader should not die easily. He emphasizes this in the second line when he says the old should “burn and rave” at the “close of day.” “Close of day” is another metaphor for death. Throughout the poem, Thomas uses night as a metaphor for death and day (light) as a metaphor for living. In line 3, the speaker reiterates his point, telling the reader to “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”. Here we see epizeuxis with the repetition of “rage” before yet another metaphor for death, “the dying of the light.” As a villanelle, this first stanza establishes the two refrains that will repeat throughout the poem – “Do not go gentle into that good night” and “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.
In this stanza, Thomas refers to “wise men” and how they know that death is inevitable; it’s accepted and yet should still be fought. In the following line, “Because their words had forked no lightning”, he is saying how these wise men want to leave their mark on the world, leave a legacy, and so they should not go without a fight.
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.
In this stanza, Thomas addresses “good men,” referring to moral men. Another metaphor for dying is used with “the last wave,” which can provide imagery of an ocean wave or a farewell wave to loved ones. In sum, Thomas says these moral men are upset that their good works (“frail deeds)” have come to an end. “Rage, rage against the dying of the light,” is repeated in this last line. Thomas is instructing the “good men” to fight death, just as he did the “wise men.”
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.
Thomas now addresses the “wild men.” These men “caught and sang the sun in flight,” meaning they lived a full life but did not realize time was passing them by. They “learn, too late” that their life would soon end, and “they grieved it on its way.” Unlike the “wise men” in the second stanza, the “wild men” did not acknowledge the inevitability of death, and yet they too should “not go gentle into that good night.” They should fight death.
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.
The “grave men” are the last group of men Thomas addresses. “Grave” can be interpreted in two ways; as those close to death, or their graves, and those who are serious. The “grave men” “see with blinding sight,” meaning they see things others don’t. They once had a sparkle or fire to their eyes that “blaze like meteors,” showing their happiness. These “grave men” must too “rage against the dying of the light” and fight death.
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.
In this final stanza, Thomas speaks directly to his father. His father is dying, a “sad height.” The speaker passionately begs his father to fight death. “Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray,” – an outcry, to his father. This stanza ends with the two lines that have been repeated throughout the poem, enforcing the message to the reader and his father, he should not go willingly; he should fight for his life.
Themes in “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”, Dylan Thomas
There are three prominent themes in the poem; life, death, and the time between. The first theme is death. The poem gets the reader to think about death, and more specifically, the act of dying. The use of “good night” is a reference for a farewell, to say farewell to someone who is passing into their final sleep, or good night. Thomas tells people to “not go gentle,” meaning they should fight for their life and not simply welcome death. In other words, don’t go down without a fight. The second theme is time. When you analyze each stanza, you see he is referring to different people; the “wise” man, the “good” man, the “wild” man, the “grave” man, and then finally, in stanza six, his father. He also acknowledges death-bed regrets. That no matter what was achieved or how full one’s life was, we will still “grieve” “on its way.” Because of this, we must fight and seize the day. The third theme is the vibrancy of life as Thomas uses contrasting language referring to dark as death and light as life. This juxtaposition shows that life is bright and should be fought for.
Background of “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”, Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas was a Welsh poet born in 1914. In 1947, he wrote “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” which would be one of his most popular works. Thomas wrote the poem while traveling in Italy with his family. It was published in 1952 as a part of his collection, “In Country Sleep, And Other Poems.” The poem was addressed to his father, whose health was declining.
A year after the poem was published, Thomas died. Thomas was a heavy drinker with a troubled personal life, and the coroner ruled his cause of death as a fatty liver, pneumonia, and brain swelling. As Thomas begged for his father to fight for his life, he was losing his. Dylan died just months after his father. At 39 years of age at his time of passing, we’re left to wonder if Dylan Thomas did “Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”