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Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

Author: Dylan Thomas

This Page Includes: Full Verses of the Poem in Text. A Recording of the Poem (Audio). A Free PDF Download for reading purposes. Free Editable Google Doc Download if you wish to make changes or to personalise the poem. The page also includes what the poem is about, structure of poem and explaining the best parts.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Poem Verses

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.

Audio Recording

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Personalised Poem

Would you like to customise this poem? You have the option to personalise it by accessing the provided link, which will direct you to Google Docs. From there, you can download the poem ‘Memories’ to your personal Google Docs account or Microsoft Word where you will be able to edit the poem however you want.

Personalised Poem

About the poem

The poem is a plea for the reader's loved ones, and ultimately themselves, to resist death and fight against the inevitability of aging and dying. The speaker encourages the reader to "rage, rage against the dying of the light," and not to simply accept death as a natural end. The poem presents different types of men facing death, including wise men, good men, wild men, and grave men, all of whom are encouraged to resist the dying of the light. The repetition of the refrain emphasizes the importance of this resistance and the urgency of the situation. The poem ends with a personal plea to the speaker's father to not go gently into the good night, and to use his tears and emotions to fuel his resistance. Overall, the poem celebrates the power of the human spirit and encourages readers to fight against death and embrace life to the fullest.

The Structure of Poem

The poem "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" by Dylan Thomas is written in villanelle form. It consists of 19 lines divided into five tercets and one quatrain. The first and third lines of the first tercet are repeated alternately in the following tercets and appear again in the final quatrain as the last two lines. The poem is characterized by its urgent and insistent tone, with the speaker exhorting his father and other men to resist death and fight against its inevitability. The use of repetition emphasizes the central message of the poem, encouraging readers to resist death and to continue to live life to the fullest.

Best Quote from Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night Poem

This is a quote from the poem 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."

This is the opening line of the poem and it sets the tone for the rest of the poem. The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the importance of fighting against death and not giving in easily. The use of metaphors such as "burn and rave" and "dying of the light" create vivid images of the struggle against death.