Do not go gentle into that good night
"Do not go gentle into that good night" is a villanelle written by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953), considered to be one of his finest works. Originally published in the journal Botteghe Oscure in 1951,[1] it also appeared as part of his 1952 collection In Country Sleep and other poems.
Written for his dying father, it is one of Thomas's most popular and accessible poems.[2] The poem has no title other than its first line, "Do not go gentle into that good night", a line which appears as a refrain throughout. The poem's other equally famous refrain is "Rage, rage against the dying of the light".
Use in popular culture
The poem was the inspiration for three paintings by Swansea-born painter and print-maker Ceri Richards.[3]
The poem is recited by the character Thornton Melon, played by Rodney Dangerfield, in the 1986 film Back to School where his English professor has him recite the poem to inspire him to complete an exam.[4]
This poem provides inspiration and motivation to Cassia Reyes, the main character of Ally Condie's dystopia novel titled, Matched. In the novel, Cassia's grandfather reveals that Cassia's compact, an artifact from her grandmother, contains a forbidden scrap of paper that holds two old poems, one by Lord Alfred Tennyson and this poem by Dylan Thomas.[5]
Part of the poem's title is referenced in the title of a mission in the video game Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag.[clarification needed] It was also quoted in the BBC television show Doctor Who. The leitmotif lines from the poem were quoted in the song "Somebody to Die For" by British synthpop duo Hurts.[6]
Michael Caine reads the poem in the full trailer for Interstellar
References
- ^ Ferris, Paul (1989). Dylan Thomas, A Biography. New York: Paragon House. p. 283. ISBN 1-55778-215-6.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Dylan Thomas: Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night". BBC WalesArts. 6 November 2008. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
- ^ "Ceri Richards: 'Do not go gentle into that good night' 1956". tate.org.uk/. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- ^ Dangerfield, Rodney; Fields, Greg; Snee, Greg (1986). Back to School (in English). United States: Orion Pictures.
{{cite AV media}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Cite has empty unknown parameter:|trans_title=(help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - ^ Condie, Ally (2010). Matched. Dutton Juvenile. ISBN 9780142419779.
- ^ Hurts (July 21, 2013). "Somebody to Die For". Somebody to Die For. MTV UK. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
External links
- The Life and Work of Dylan Thomas
- National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales
- A short analysis by the BBC
- Read the poem and listen to it read by Dylan Thomas at poets.org
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