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 sigh
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.
– Dylan Thomas
Tags: Dylan Thomas
One response to “Do Not Go Gentle”
I just wanted to add a little background as to why I posted this poem. I have been witness to my father’s rapid and alarming decline into dementia. Old age is such an asshole. It’s not enough that it already takes his dignity and any joy. No, it needs more. So it has been robbing him of his memories and even his ability to talk or communicate. So this poem, written from the perspective of a son watching his father give up on life hits very hard.
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